Burning Horizions
by Laxtastic
Summary: This is a beta story I've been working on; your input will shape the final product. What's worse than dying? Some might say nothing, other's might say living can be equally bad, but for Kouken Izoumaru, living in the background is terrifying. He fears of fading away and living a life that nobody would take notice of. He fights so that he'll never be forgotten. OC no self-inserts.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright so here's the deal, this story is a beta, which instead of releasing to one guy, I release it to all of you. That way, with your feedback I can optimize the story as it progresses with your tastes. This is my own OC and any other OC's created are my own, however, I do not own the series or anything that comes from it. This goes for every chapter posted from here on out so that is that. I won't post author notes much; just straight story. Reviews will help me shape and improve the story as well as let me know that you're interested. Enjoy.**

Life is full of amazing wonders and countless excitements. One could live to one hundred and still not be able to see or experience all that life had to offer. One could also live to only twenty and see enough to happily pass on, but this isn't about philosophy. We'll be focusing on one person's life in particular, and just how exciting, or lack thereof, it is.

A messy mop of light pink hair could be seen walking amongst the crowds of Konoha. If one cared enough or was creepy enough to follow him one would hear a sigh followed by a grumble every now and then. It appears that despite the happy coloration of the boy's hair his current mood was anything but.

' _Wake up, stretch, eat breakfast, workout, shower, do D-rank chores, head to library, study, then train, go home, pay rent, shower, go back out, head to Red Light District bazars, shoplift anything good, pick-pocket thugs, go home, eat dinner, go to sleep. Then repeat all over again.'_ Quite a long list to be thinking of, but to be honest it sounds less like thinking and more like droning going on in this young boy's head.

' _It's all the same! A great day to me is getting more than three D-ranks done and managing to find some raggedy jutsu scroll to steal!'_ …Now it's beginning to sound like bitching. Oh joy.

' _Nobody even knows who the hell I am!'_ Oh god, please let this not be another story following a brooding twat. I couldn't take narrating another "woe is me" guy; in fact, I'll quit if this doesn't pull up real goddamn quick.

At this moment in time where both the narrator and pink-haired guy were lamenting and despairing, both were unaware to the speeding, fur-lined, and hygienic phobic known as an Inuzuka heading straight towards them.

Pink-guy's train of thought was abruptly cut short as he heard a shout and looked up with barely enough time to project horror when the speeding Inuzuka came to a speedy halt due to our dear friend pinky.

Groaning as he held his head, pink-guy heard what must've been the other guy getting to his feet. Opening his eyes and mouth to say something was clearly a bad choice because his eyes stung fiercely from the bright sun directly above him and his mouth got a helping of dirt; curtesy of our dear Inuzuka.

"Hey man! You should really watch where you're going! I'm a ninja in training and I'm already late enough!" The voice was undoubtedly an Inuzuka. Brash, loud, and devoid of any manners. And did this little punk really just brag about being an _academy student_?!

He then heard a nagging whine, most likely from his nin-dog-partner-thing. He really must've hit his head hard. That's when he realized he was still on the ground, which he quickly rectified by planting his hands on the ground and doing a handstand and roll.

Pretty flashy he'll admit, but he wanted to flex in front of the twerp a little bit.

"Whaddaya a dancer or something?" He said while picking at his ear unimpressed.

Annnnd pink-guy could already feel the twitch of his eyebrow going. This kid was really batting a thousand here. Another whine took their attention and pink-guy actually noticed who he was talking to.

Spiky brown hair, feral beady eyes, twin red fangs streaking down his cheeks and a white little dog by his side. Yep, he was talking to Kiba Inuzuka, the son of the Inuzuka clan matriarch. This little shit was an _academy_ student and even he still knew who he was. That little thought really brought back the despairing thoughts. Hopefully the narrator's bitching will stay absent.

"You're right, Akamaru, we're really gonna get it from Iruka-sensei! Later pink-guy!" And with that, the boy took off running. He didn't even look back to apologize.

' _Prick.'_ Pink guy thought annoyed. _'Ah man, this really bites.'_

And indeed it does, "bite," for our protagonist. Meet Kouken Izoumaru, or "Pink-guy" as we know him. Kouken stands at a healthy five foot two and is currently fourteen years old. His eyes are a deep, dark blue and actually has pupils. If one were to compare his eyes to anything, it would be that of an ocean with no seabed; Kouken really liked his eyes. His hair, as we already know, is a light shade of pink. Not that atrociously bright bubblegum colour he's seen about Konoha, but a mellower shade. It was always spiky, as he hardly ever took the time to tame it in the morning or even cut it for that matter either. He kept a dark blue bandana tied around his head so that it would stop his hair from covering his eyes and the rest of it fell on his shoulders and neck.

The narrator actually had to give credit where it was due; Kouken did have a right to complain. Losing his mother when he was two during the Kyuubi attack, father never in the picture, growing up in the orphanage until he enrolled in the ninja academy and relocated to a run-down apartment in the Red-Light District on a small staple really wasn't an easy childhood. But the boy never complained… _excessively_ ; he worked hard and studied anything he could get his hands on to graduate early and become the best ninja possible. Never did he devote any of his time to anything but studying, practicing, and training; hell, he didn't even bother to remember any of his classmates' names! But it paid off in the end, he managed to graduate a whole year early and he was never happier in his life! No more living in slums with prostitutes as neighbors for him!

Sadly, and obviously, that wasn't what happened. You see he failed the second genin test, administered by a guy who was late to the meeting by a whole three hours! All he did was read porn and barely gave him or his teammates any attention. After that whole ordeal, Kouken got put on the _reserved_ forces, which is pretty much where dreams go to die.

He had to hand in his headband and was given some badge…thing that honestly made him want to cringe every time he had to use it. He lost his stipend from the Hokage, lost the chance to get on a team which prioritizes you for missions as well as increase your pay, and now all chances of learning anything ninja related were at a decayed snail's pace.

So yeah, life did suck for Kouken Izoumaru, and if that wasn't the worst of it then no matter how hard he worked at his D-rank missions to earn money and perfect what little projects he had, life wasn't changing. The daily grind became a never ending slope, and he saw little change in his life other than the occupants of his neighbor's rooms. He felt as if the whole world was moving on and he was slowly fading away.

Fists clenched at the thought as his face twisted into a scowl. Kouken squashed those thoughts and swore that he would change his position in life. He made a vow to never fade away, that he would burn brighter than anything the world has ever seen.

Finally he arrived at his training ground. Well, it wasn't his, but nobody used it and it is was good enough for him, Training ground twenty-seven. Smiling as he rolled his shoulders only one thought went through his head.

' _Time to let loose.'_

 **~~~~~~~~~~~~~Elsewhere in Konoha~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

In an office filled with papers, both menial and grave, sat a man who was practically a legend throughout the shinobi world. There sat, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandiame Hokage otherwise known as The Professor or God of Shinobi. Along with him were his two teammates and ever faithful advisors Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.

"We need to find a solution, Hiruzen. The reserve list is growing far too large to be useful. The fact that for every one who gets placed into active duty, four more take their place means it isn't working!" Said the only other male, Homura.

"Believe me, I know this already, but there are simply not enough jonin to become sensei's. We're still recovering from the Kyuubi attack." Sarutobi said while rubbing his wrinkled forehead.

"Maybe so, but when have we ever had the luxury of easy choices? Regardless of who we have available, we either find a way to teach them and bolster our forces, or cut down the reserves massively." Said shrewdly by Koharu.

Sarutobi sighed at that, doing that would literally end many of their dreams and would most likely push them into the open arms of less savory people. They needed them to bolster Konoha's forces, not someone's private one. Still, they've been tackling this problem for days and no solution seems in sight; every idea they came up with proved to be inefficient or impractical in one way or another. It was then his intercom buzzed and the voice of his secretary informed him of his two o'clock appointment was on his way up.

A tired groan escaped his lips and was about to be questioned by his teammates when the door was kicked open.

"What up Gramps?! Finally decided to promote me to jonin?!" Said a loud, cheerful voice. Just then two smaller groans erupted from his teammates simultaneously causing the aged Hokage to smirk.

In the doorway stood the scantily clad tokubetsu jonin Anko Mitarashi; apprentice to Orochimaru and current torture and interrogation specialist. And every time they had a meeting, she would, without fail or falter, bring up her promotion as obnoxiously as possible.

It wasn't that she didn't deserve it, far from it, but due to extenuating circumstance and other things, the woman didn't seem to make the cut. In fact a lot of shinobi were in her position, almost an oversaturation of ninja trying to make their ascent but can't regardless of how specialized they might be in certain fields. Most were insanely talented but were just wasting away when not on missions, if he could be honest with himself. If only there was a way to….

Away and uniformed of the Elder Hokage's thinking the other three occupants stood there awkwardly.

"Oi! You okay there, Hokage-Sama? Helllooooo?" Said Anko as she tried waving in his face. "He's didn't finally go senile, did he?" she asked his two teammates unaware, or more likely, uncaring if she offended them.

"No! Of course he didn't!... I think…" Koharu answered indignantly before trailing off somewhat hesitantly.

By then a strange smile spread across the otherwise stiff ninja as his eyes focused back to reality and snapped straight to Anko's.

"You're starting to creep me out, Hokage-sama. Most men who stare are young enough to give it a shot…No offense." She said as she straightened up and backed away from the table a bit.

"Oh my dear Anko, that's not why I'm staring. I'm staring because I just solved a problem and you might get that promotion after all!" At this both his teammates did a double take while Anko began her victory laps around the office.

"Not so fast, Anko, there's a condition." Hiruzen coughed into his hand until she quieted down and got her attention.

"Yeah, and what might that be? Got somebody that needs to die?" She asked menacingly as a snake started hissing from the sleeve of her trench coat.

"No, not quite, although I'm sure you wish it was that easy. Instead you're going to teach someone."

Silence reigned through the office as all three of them stared incredulously at the proud looking hokage.

"Okay, _now_ you've gone senile." Said Homura while the other two nodded in agreement.

"Not just yet, I'm afraid. Here's the deal, the Reserve forces are beginning to become oversaturated and we don't have a solution to this problem. The same could be said for Tokubetsu jonin's so we are going to conduct a little experiment. You will test, however you wish and whomever _we_ pick, individually. Should they pass your test you will train them until they are of chunin level where they can be incorporated into active duty. Should this succeed then you will have your promotion and we will have our solution. Agreed?" Sarutobi asked all the while feeling more and more proud of himself.

Anko mulled the thought over. On one hand _promotion!_ On the other… **kids.** It was a tough choice, as she hated teaching and most of them whined far too much for her liking; hell, majority of her co-workers whined too much as well! After some consideration she decided this was easy. Out of the group of brats they chose, she would take the person closest to chunin level and grind the poor sod into the dirt until he was the barest, most basic textbook definition of a chunin level shinobi.

Smiling to herself and her ingenious plan Anko readily agreed, "Yosh! Let's get this over with!"

 **~~~~~~~~~~~With Kouken~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Kouken panted as he laid on the training ground, reflecting on his skill and jutsu library. Currently, he had six jutsus; the Academy Three, Ninpo: Goriki, Hana Ninpo: Kage Kouhan Tsuru (Shadow Whipping Vine), and Hana Ninpo: Natsui Hana (Scorching Petal).

Admittedly, it was a fairly good library for a genin and even more so for one who was completely on his own, and was the fruit of his thieving habits at the Red Light District. The first one, Ninpo: Goriki, augmented your strength and speed by a good margin, but required constant chakra feeding and was rather consuming on his reserves. It was the newest addition and thus he didn't get a long time to train with it as he had just got it about three weeks ago from some unaware vendor. As of now he could use the jutsu for a full minute uninterrupted, but that would leave him with only a meager amount of chakra left. Rather than practicing it in length which would also increase his reserves, he had been working on the speed in which he could activate it. His plan would be to activate before he hit the person and shut it off the moment the opening has been abused.

The other two he had forever and really liked them. They were so obscure and foreign, and in the shinobi world, diversity and surprise usually spelt doom for the enemy. While everyone was flinging around fireballs and water jutsus he was flinging vines from his sleeves and throwing flaming flower petals at his enemies. Even though he'll accept any technique and gladly add it to his library, there was something about plant-like jutsus that made him feel good.

Maybe because it was the last connection he had to his mother, who was said to have a large number of plant like techniques. It wasn't a kekkai genkai or anything, it was just her interest. She was a jonin and was the delegate to Kusakagure, where he was told his father is from. It was with their union and constant travelling that basically filled her library with such jutsu, and even though all of them were lost with the destruction of their home Kouken endeavored to learn them all the same.

Feeling his chakra return to him along with his breath, Kouken reluctantly decided to pack it up. "Another day of training complete, yet I don't feel as if I'm any better than before." Murmuring to himself Kouken whipped out his arms unleashing a number of vines that wrapped around the sturdy trees around him. Taking steps back until the vines could go no further and were visibly shaking from the constrained energy Kouken let out a smirk. This was always his favorite part.

Hopping slightly off the ground all of the energy stored in the vines propelled him forward like a rubber band and he was soaring over the tree-tops with a wide smile on his face. Sure, running through the trees was fun and all, but _flying_ over them? C'mon, even an adult would find that more fun. Descending back towards the tree line Kouken let loose another vine and swung hard on it, careening through the branches and at one point coming low enough to the ground that he was able to place his feet down momentarily for a chakra enhanced jump.

Oh yeah; this was way more fun. It didn't take long for our pink-haired spider man to arrive at what we would hope is not his apartment, because it. Looked. Like. Shit. The entire building was falling apart and the roof seemed to slouch a little more than what was structurally sound. Walking up the creaky stairs, he had to move to the right quickly as a wave of sake breath filled his nostrils. A moment later a drunk and highly disheveled man came out of one of his neighbor's room, fiddling with his pants belt and murmuring to himself.

"Virgin my ass…should've gotten a refund…those tits…oh, I'm gonna hurl." Barreling right into Kouken the man deposited the contents of his stomach right onto his feet. Those sandals were never going to see the light of day again, and from the look on Kouken's face, neither would this poor sod.

Before the man could even mumble out an apology, and that's a big if since he didn't even seem to be aware of his presence or surroundings, Kouken readied a whip from his sleeve and wrapped it around the unfortunate man. Without a second thought and a sharp jerk of his arm he sent the man flying over the second story stair-well and into the dumpster below. A second jerk slammed the top down just as the man began yelling.

Running into his apartment, Kouken went straight through the shower and threw his old sandals out. That would cost him rent money to replace unless he could find some to steal in the market today. After the shower Kouken went back near his door where a notice was nailed that he completely ignored moments prior. Failing to suppress a scowl, Kouken knew that whenever a statement like this was on his door it was from the landlord. He wasn't behind on rent, by the grace of some god, and he never makes too much noise unlike his _neighbors!_ Flopping on a raggedy couch, home to some rather nasty stains of unknown origins Kouken read through the notice.

It was most definitely not good news. Apparently, the landlord is finally deciding to sell the place and all occupants have a week and a half to clear out.

Crunching the paper into a ball and chucking it out the window, Kouken blew out a sharp breath. "Fuck! I'll never be able to afford a new place! I only have enough for the next rent payment in the bank; not nearly enough to make a new payment elsewhere!..." He sat there in silent anger for a while mulling over his options, it seems he finally came up with one when he opened his mouth again, "FUCK!"

Maybe not…Even the narrator felt for the guy, and his job was merely to tell the tale; he wasn't paid enough to feel bad for the guy, in fact, he wasn't sure if he was gonna get paid at all! At this rate, our main character would crumble under financial strain and would merely fade into the populace of the Red Light District. No pay for a narrator narrating about a boy fading away. This boy desperately needed a break, even just something small. After all the boy has been through, one could tell that if you gave him an inch, he would take the whole damn mile.

Deciding on skipping the thieving for tonight, for he was simply in too foul of a mood, Kouken hit the sack. His thoughts were filled with anger, stress, and wondering on just how he was going to get by.

' _Fading away…what a terrible feeling it is…'_ With that, Kouken succumbed to a restless slumber.


	2. Chapter 2: Big Break

Two days have passed for our struggling pink and hopeful hero, and it hasn't gotten any better. He had camped outside the mission center, bright and early to get first dibs on any D-ranks that were unreserved. He tried to take out more than three, but the rule states that three at one time without a team or sensei is the max. After all, there had to be scraps for everyone on the reserves.

The first mission was cleaning the Inuzuka kennels and while he liked dogs well enough, he most definitely didn't like that they were intelligent enough to intentionally make the job as hard as possible. Halfway through it one large dog bowled his ass right over and into a rather fresh pile of shit that he had purposely ignored. After that the little fucker, Kiba, came over and spent the entire time laughing and/or bragging about how strong he was. Apparently he had the day off from the academy and figured his entertainment was more important than his training.

The next mission was for an old ass lady who wanted him to paint her fence. No big deal, but this woman calls for a D-rank mission every week to have the fence painted a different colour. He's painted this fucking fence enough times that by now he should've just inhaled the fumes and end all his misery right there. Also, every time he came over, the lady would bake some cookies that he just _knew_ were laced with something. Then she would ask if he would come in and crawl inside her oven to clean it. Today, however, she decided to just watch him from her window; occasionally muttering to herself and licking her lips.

Kouken Izoumaru, fearless and highly intelligent shinobi, wanted to vine-whip right the fuck outta there; which is exactly what he did the moment money exchanged hands.

His last mission was supposed to be an easy one, clean up a training ground. He liked these, because sometimes he would get some equipment that was still usable and he would just train there himself when he was done. But by the way his day had been going the narrator could already tell that this was going to suck Tailed-Beast ass.

Apparently the training ground was still in use when he got there and he met two of the weirdest ninja possible with the biggest eyebrows he had ever seen. One was Might Guy, Beast of Konoha or something and his mini me, Rock Lee. And then there was the teammates! One was practically a priest who was chosen to be the messiah of his god, going by his fate talk and "holier than thou" attitude. Makes perfect sense for a Hyuga if you ask him. The last teammate was supposedly the _normal_ one, Tenten, a girl whom he had known from the orphanage. Sadly, these three must've gotten to her and her already somewhat alarming kink for anything sharp and pointy evolved into full-blown devotion. Now, that wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for her damn near-perfect accuracy.

So, to make a long and insufferable story short, the two clones made him run laps with weights on in their ridiculous outfit, while Miss Stabby-Stabby motivated him with a vengeance when she found out he was here to take away all the wayward weapons to the scrapyard. During all this, their emo priest/messiah spent the entire time glaring at nothing and going on about fate and how all this "work" he was putting in to getting better wouldn't do jack.

A mission that was supposed to take an hour at most took three, and when they left, the place was in an even worse state than when he got there. The same could be said for Kouken too; his body was caked with dirt, his body ached, he was littered with cut and puncture wounds, and to top it all off, somehow…Some _fucking_ way, they made off with his original clothes and was stuck in the green leotard.

On the plus side, they let him keep the weights, which he was more than ecstatic for.

But that was how his last two days have gone after being told he would be homeless within eight days.

"Unbelievable. It's…just…un-freaking-believable. I am, literally, karma's bitch." Kouken groaned to himself, "Shouldn't my luck be the devil's at this point? I mean c'mon! I'm eight days from rock bottom!" Well, the narrator had to admit, Kouken made a fine point in a not-too-bitchy kind of way. He was indeed heading for the pit, no reason for him to hit every jagged edge on the way down.

At some point Kouken managed to limp his way out of the training ground and back towards his apartment. As he ditched his new outfit in the trash, Kouken made the rest of his trek to his home clad only in his boxers and sandals. Not that odd of a sight in the Red Light District. Not that he was holding out or expecting for his lucky break, he sure as hell hoped that something would come soon.

 **~~~~~~~~With Anko~~~~~~~**

Anko was sitting at home with some sake and a box of dangos with her. That alone is enough to put her in a good mood, so why was she making a face like she had just eaten some military rations? Well, that was probably due to the roster that the Hokage had put together for her. Apparently, the wise and powerful Hokage saw through her ingenious plan as none of the genin's were close to chunin level. In fact, it was almost all too obvious as to why they were on the reserves list in the first place.

The list contained twenty names of young boys and girls, oldest being fourteen, with a summary of their skills at the time of their failure. It wasn't updated because they're reserve members, no need to create more paperwork. Also, she admitted it was a fair point that there wouldn't be much improvement since they were placed into the reserves; it was the place where skills and dreams decayed.

' _They all equally suck, and would take forever to get up to chunin level.'_ Taking a bite out of her dango she groaned and threw the file back on the table. At this point, she figured she would get to jonin rank quicker if she just failed them all at once and went back to her daily grind. It sucked really, this whole plan would've fast tracked her career and break through all the circumstances preventing her advancement within six months. Still, these brats would need far more than six months to get to a chunin level.

"Only one thing left to do then, I'm just gonna have them all take my test at once. They ought to make each other fail and I won't have to do a thing." Anko felt a little bad about it, she was killing their dreams for hers, but it's not like they'll quit being a shinobi altogether. At least, that's what she told herself; however, her somewhat desperate consumption of her sake proved that even she didn't believe it all that much.

Through the numerous pages strewn about the table one could see just a bit of pink from a ninja registration photo sticking out from under all the other files…

XXX

The next day, began with a mild hangover for Anko; not enough to make her proud of what a great time she had, but just enough to give her a lingering headache. After downing her breakfast and all that good stuff she made her way to the Hokage's tower to inform him of her decision. Normally, such a conversation would take no more than five minutes, but Sarutobi didn't get to the grandfatherly age that he is now without picking up all its mannerisms. She was sure that it would be an hour or two of him trying to persuade her otherwise and making her feel bad and how she would be denying a potentially strong shinobi a second chance. After all, she knew quite a lot about second chances.

' _ugh! I'm going to need more booze after this is over…and some dango.'_ She closed her eyes picturing it in her head before nodding to herself. She made the best plans if she said so herself, and if anyone said otherwise…well persuasion was her forte. Smirking cruelly at the thought Anko ignored all the stares directed towards her. She was clearly not well liked among the civilians or her fellow peers. It came from a wide range of things: the way she dressed, acted in public, past associations, her job, and how she didn't bother to hide the dark side of it. But that was all they did, stare and mutter to each other. They knew better than to say or do anything because of how much trouble it would bring. Also there was the small fact that she scared the piss outta them.

Anko huffed to herself and leapt to the rooftops, opting to move at a much quicker and less populated route. _'Man, and I was wondering why Konoha never had a zoo. Guess I give enough to stare at.'_ Man, the narrator liked this one. She was funny and enough crazy to make it interesting to narrate. He was hoping that he could just follow her around instead of that bitchy, pink haired spider-man that was always getting the shaft. Shame that people cared less about the narrator's opinion then they did terms  & conditions.

Reaching the tower she went in and walked past the secretary, she knew when her appointment was and she sure as hell knew that the Hokage was aware too. Unfortunately, that always got the dyke's panties in a twist and never failed to scowl at her as she walked by.

' _Man, talk about a person in need of a good dicking!'_ She thought as she stuffed her hands in her trench coat's pockets and continued up the stairs. Knocking on the door, Anko heard the invitation and walked in to find the old man, sure enough, swarmed with paperwork. Poor bastard. The reserves may be where dreams go to die, but it was the Hokage's chair where legends withered away.

She noticed he wasn't the only one there, as a mummy/fossil was sitting right next to the door on the couch. She suppressed a scowl as she recognized Danzou Shimura, a dark and dangerous man whom she saw as another Orochimaru. Unfortunately, he was the Hokage's childhood friend and rival, as well as, advisor and that meant she had to deal.

"Welcome Anko. As you can see, our resident cripple is joining us for this meeting." Hiruzen said barely looking up from his papers as he waved a hand in Danzou's direction. Ahh it seems the two were at odds again if the name-calling was anything to go by.

"Yes, this experiment that decides what we do with the Reserve's forces have piqued my interest and I figured somebody other than a monkey should oversee it." The cripple said, pointing a glare at the hunched and working form of the Hokage.

"Even when said monkey devised the plan? Besides, who's overseeing you? Don't tell me you escaped the elderly's home? Isn't it bingo and pudding night?"

"The only one who belongs in a home is you, considering you're deciding the fate of the entirety of the Reserve Forces on the performance of twenty randomly picked candidates."

"Hmm, when you put it like that, it does sound rather alarming, doesn't it? You should file a concerned report, here's the bin for them." The Hokage then kicked the trash bin towards him and Anko couldn't help but snicker. The two of them may be insanely powerful and equally old, but put the two of them together and it was like two boys on the same genin team.

"Anyways, Anko, tell us of your decision." Hiruzen said, getting serious and giving her his full attention. Truthfully that always made her a little nervous, that stare was so…potent.

"I have decided that since all of them are around the same level and don't have any noteworthy skills that make them stand-out I will test all twenty of them at once. The goal will be for someone to land a single hit on me." She finished and maintained her formal stance and look.

The two elderly ninja looked at each other and began talking as if she wasn't even in the room. How rude of them.

"A hard test to be sure, Anko isn't a jonin candidate for nothing and her taijutsu makes it very hard for even a fellow jonin to land a blow." Hiruzen said.

"Indeed, but to test them all at once will surely decrease performance as majority of them will be fighting each other more than her." Danzou admitted.

"Agreed, but if they can't work with each other than there is a reason for them being in the Reserve Forces."

"Not every situation in combat will emulate the bell test, dobe, individual strength is just as important as your teamwork. After all, you know what they say about the weakest link."

"Yes, but a genin team functions like a bell test, and I believe you would know better about the weakest link than I."

"She won't be taking on a genin team though, she's apprenticing _one_ of them." Danzou let the jibe go by, he would pay him back when they didn't have company.

"Regardless, the agreement was that we would pick the candidates and she would get to decide on how she wanted to test them. If this is your final decision, Anko, then we will follow it." He said, turning his attention back to the hopeful jonin in front of him.

"Hai, it is as you say, Hokage-Sama." She said crisply.

"Very well, the test will be next week. You are dismissed." He said as he turned back to his paperwork. Anko snapped a sharp salute and bailed, hoping to get away from him before he went all "Grandfatherly" on her. As she was closing the door she heard the two going back at it.

"Bitch," the cripple said.

"Pussy," the monkey retorted.

Anko was cut off from the rest of it as the door clicked shut and she couldn't shake the grin on her face. Those two fossils might slip a disk with verbal sparring like that.

 **~~~~~~~~With Pinkie~~~~~~**

And so the narrator finds himself once again stuck with Pinkie. Sigh, maybe we'll find his rotting corpse and we can go back to Anko.

"Watch it asshole!"

Guess not…

Kouken was walking through the markets in the Red Light District (RDL) looking for odds and ends that were either worth stealing and keeping, selling, or getting into a fight if caught. Usually anything someone will fight you for is valuable, and then you can take all the guy's money when you knock him out.

He moseyed his way through the stalls, picking up items and inspecting them and either putting it back where he got or into his pocket when he someone roughly gripped his shoulder and spun him around.

"Watch it asshole!" Kouken yelled as he roughed his shoulder out of the man's grip. Looking at the man he noticed that it was the drunk who vomited on his shoes a while ago and he was not alone. With him were three other men who looked right at home in the RDL.

' _Thugs huh? Wonder if they got any money on them…'_ Kouken idly thought as the man who was now sober was yelling at him.

"Hey! Punk! Are you even listening to me?!" He asked as he jabbed a finger into his chest.

Kouken looked lazily at the finger that stayed on his chest before looking up at the man, "Honestly…Not really." The man looked irate and Kouken just shrugged as the man floundered for a response.

Failing to articulate what he meant with words, how utterly surprising, the thug balled his fist and gripped Kouken's collar bringing them face to face. "I said, the lady who I was with told me you're the reason that I woke up in a dumpster."

Kouken's eyes narrowed as onlookers were giving them space, but clearly wanted some action. He wasn't their damn entertainment, go to a fucking zoo if they wanna stare. Returning his glare to the man who hadn't let go of him still Kouken spoke venomously, "Actually, the reason you woke up in a dumpster is because you puked all over my feet with your dick out." That last part wasn't true, but Kouken continued, "I almost missed it and not because you had just threw up all over my feet. I don't see how you could have any trouble trying to put that back in your pants."

The man's eyes widened as he once again floundered for a response, but all of his thinking, which I'm sure was a significant amount, was halted by the sound of laughter in the crowd. Looking back at the brat who was now smiling smugly, the thug snapped.

' _This..little cum-stain. I'll gut him!'_ The thug thought viciously as he pulled out a dirty shiv from his back pocket. Smiling maliciously, the thug failed to understand a few things that lead to what happened next.

1st: How could a child, fourteen years old or not, manage to throw a man his size, which was around 6' 195 lbs. off a second story walkway into a dumpster, regardless of how drunk he was?

2nd: Why would any child who lived in the RDL give a man like him cheek, being this old meant he had to know the rules that only the strong could be so brazen?

3rd: Said child was actually a shinobi, or at least in the Reserve Forces, and has a habit of taking people like him to the cleaners.

4th: Finally, the shinobi/child had saw the flash, more like glint considering how dirty and disgusting it was, of the shiv almost immediately.

So when you add all those up, it easily answers the question of how our dear pinkie managed to do what he did.

Kouken's smile which was smug turned downright vicious as his head surged forward and cracked the man's teeth with a headbutt.

Letting go of the boy and stumbling back holding his bleeding mouth, he looked with wide eyes and pointed at him. "Get that little fucker!" His screaming seemed to snap his three other friends out of their shock and they rushed the boy who slid into a slightly different version of the academy taijutsu style.

The first one to reach him was this lanky thing, wearing raggedy pants and a sleeveless shirt, and was covered in tattoos. _'Looks like Ink is going first.'_ He smirked as the man threw a wild punch at his head at a ridiculously slow speed. Kouken tilted his head to the left letting it pass by and grabbed the man's over-extended arm pulling him into a savage knee that folded the man like a chair. Holding on to the man's arm still he spun on his heel and with a burst of chakra he threw him at the second closest man, toppling the both of them.

The third one was a chubby man who was taller than all of them and by the cocky look on his face he thought he would crush the little boy like an ant. Clasping both his hands together he charged and attempted to land a hammer fist on the boys head only for him to take a small step back and miss him by centimeters. Kouken smirked as the man couldn't stop his momentum and his fingers smashed painfully into the sidewalk. Bring his leg as far back as he could he launched a kick that hit the man so hard in the jaw everyone could hear, and cringe, at the sound of the man's teeth clacking shut. His eyes went wide for a second before he crumpled to the ground yelling in a garbled tone. Apparently the man must've bit his tongue pretty bad judging by all the blood coming out of his mouth.

The other two finally untangled themselves but didn't get very far as several vines came out from his sleeves and threw them into the alley behind him clearing a straight path to their boss who was frantically looking around for an exit. From the wince and "euuu" from the crowd the two he had thrown must've hit something pretty hard. Kouken smirked evilly as he took a step towards him, walking right on the downed form of fatty. The man took two steps back before turning on heel and trying to run through the crowd.

"Get the fuck outta the way! Move you stupid bitches!" His voice was pathetic and from the weird sound, his mouth must've gotten fucked up by his headbutt like Fatty's did. He didn't even get through the first ring of people before a vine shot out and wrapped around his leg, yanking the poor sod back into the fray.

Or at least it would've had he not grabbed onto a street sign. Kouken sighed exasperatedly…why do the boss guys always take the longest? Sending out more vines that wrapped around the man's torso, Kouken tugged hard. Uncaring of the man screaming, "NOOO!" as he was dislodged and flying at the pink street-fighter, Kouken readied his fist and rammed it forward to meet the guys face.

His screaming died down after he was knocked out, obviously, and Kouken went about searching their pockets. Between the four of them he got about $5,000 ryo and he took the boss's gold chains which he was sure he could sell for a good sum. Overall, he was pleased with himself and it turned out to be worth the effort. Although he hated being entertainment for the public; he wasn't a fucking monkey!

His happiness and uhh…annoyance? The narrator wasn't sure, I mean he did just get a good sum of money so he should be happy, but Pinkie always finds a way to bitch about something he supposes. Anyway, Kouken's happiness was short-lived as a whoosh behind him made him come face to face with a porcelain mask depicting a cat.

ANBU. _'Well…fuck.'_

"Hey Anbu-san! You're just in time to arrest these guys!" Kouken said merrily slapping a hand on the…female? He wasn't sure, the uniform was kinda obscuring his/her/its form. Silence reigned between the two as Kouken sweat dropped and slide his hand off its arm. Yeah, definitely an "it".

"Kouken Izoumaru, you are to report to the Hokage tower two hours from now. Do not make us come collect you." It said rather menacingly before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Kouken let loose a breath and swore. He was only defending himself! Who cares if he decided to rob them afterwards? He won, his spoils! Now he was going to get chewed out by the Hokage! Tugging on his hair as he left the scene, Kouken was mentally lamenting. Again.

' _Goddammit! Of all the things to go fucking wrong, it decided to happen in the same fucking week!'_ He kicked a can out of his way and accidently nailed a store's window and broke it. Wincing he disappeared in a burst of speed with shouting fading away, _'My luck has gone to absolute and total shit! I bet I'm going to lose even my Reserved position!...All for some pocket change.'_ Man what a dismal yet completely accurate way to address the situation the narrator thought. _'If I make it out of this, I promise to never steal again!'_ Kouken vowed internally while forming a fist in front of him.

Ah well, two hours to kill before he gets killed? This was one short and confusing narration, but hey, if the kid got the axe then he could do some _real_ narration!

 **XXX**

Two hours went by agonizingly slowly, but as sure as he heard the death bells tolling, he arrived at the Hokage's Tower. Stepping inside he realized that he had no clue what to say to the receptionist so that he may go in, "Hey! I was kicking the shit out of some street thugs and robbing them blind when an ANBU dropped by and told me to come here?" Yeah, right, what a great idea.

The receptionist looked up to see a strange pink-haired boy who looked completely lost standing in front of her desk. "Are you part of the Reserves Forces?" She asked bluntly.

A blush of embarrassment coated his face as he tugged his ear and looked away. "Well..yeah, but not for long, it's more of a.." He was cut off by the secretary jabbing her thumb to her left by the stairs.

"Third door on your right, head right on in."

"O-okay..thanks?" He said dumbly and turned towards the stairs. He could feel his back coated in sweat as his hands began to shake. _'Oh man, what if I go to prison?!'_ he thought in a panic. _'I'm far too young for shinobi prison! I'm downright delicious! I'll never survive the first shower!'_ His train of thought continued along that path until he found himself at the door.

It took a while, but he opened the door and walked right on in, "Hokage-sama, first I would like to say that it wasn't what it..looked…like…" He trailed off as he noticed the room was filled with around nineteen other kids his age and the Hokage, an elder, and a smoking hot older woman and all of them were staring at him.

Looking dumbly around the room he found what looked like a twelve-year-old kid who hadn't even gotten his first morning wood. Like, really, this kid looked like he still believed that babies come from mummy's tummy. This kid didn't look like he would even steal from the cookie jar, much less mug some street thugs. But he had to give it a shot.

"Hey kid." He said grabbing the kid's attention who looked at him curiously. "Are you here for mugging some thugs too?" He didn't even get a verbal response just a horrified and utterly confused look. "Thought so. Nevermind man." He folded his arms and leaned against the back wall closest to the door when he noticed a good seven people around him were staring. Irritated he glared at them and asked, "The fuck ya'll lookin at?" It seemed to do the trick and they all quickly looked away and that's when he got a snort from the hot lady and a raised eyebrow from the hokage.

Eyes going wide and realizing his error, he shoved off the wall and bowed deeply, "Apologies Hokage-Sama! Please forgive my interruption!" His face was covered and sweat and he was pretty sure that back sweat he had now elevated to swamp-ass. Not only was he the last to arrive, he interrupted Hokage-sama, the fucking _god_ of shinobi, with practically a confession of his crime. Death would be very good right now. Yeah, maybe a good ole fashion beheading! No reason for his delicious and, undoubtedly, taut ass to become some ones property in prison! So deep inside his own mind he completely missed that the Hokage chuckled and went back to the meeting at hand…and that this pink haired retard was _still_ bowing.

Snapping back to reality, Kouken peeked up and noticed no firing squad heading his way so he hesitantly went back to his leaning position ready to plead the Konoha fifth at any second.

"Welcome all of you, and forgive me for issuing such short notice for this meeting. I'm sure you're all busy with your training and I am taking precious time away from it so I will make things brief." Kouken nodded sagely. There was a reason this man was Hokage, and respecting training time was definitely one of them.

"We have realized the swelling size of the Reserved Forces and the apparent lack of available Jonin to take on students…" Hiruzen watched as many of the young shinobi nodded, even the weird pink-haired kid in the back. "We have selected twenty of you to run a small experiment, in which we will assign you to take a test similar to the genin test under Miss Anko Mitarashi here," He waved towards the smoking hot lady who completely ruined her image by smiling evilly and project a very uneasy arura. "Should one of you succeed, and only one, then you will be placed into apprenticeship under her. Currently she is a tokubetsu Jonin seeking promotion and like the Reserved Ranks, the Tokubetsu Jonin rank is engorged as well. Should she be able to produce a student to chunin level within a year then she will gain her promotion as well as the student placed into active duty effective immediately."

By now there was a murmuring going through the ranks and even the cookie jar kid looked ready to shiv a bitch to gain the spot. Kouken pushed off the wall and became stone faced the moment Hokage-sama mentioned the current state of the Reserved Forces. He didn't want to hope, but his gut instinct was telling him that this was the break he was looking for. Staring hard at the woman in question, he ingrained her appearance into his mind for he would be asking around the RDL about her later.

The Hokage let the whispering continue for a little while longer before he raised his hands for quiet. "Should this one student achieve chunin level by years end then we will begin implementing this practice throughout the ranks. The test is in one week, and will take place at training ground 34. You are all dismissed." With that the room exploded into conversations, everyone happily talking about being rid of their stupid Reserve-badge; something Kouken agreed wholeheartedly, but he didn't move from his position. While everyone was filing out the door Kouken stayed right where he was, staring hard into the frame of the proctor. After a moment later he disappeared into the crowd.

Once all the kids had left the room, Hiruzen, Danzou, and Anko remained talking.

"They all seem weak to me, Hokage-sama." Anko said dismissively while searching her pockets for some dango.

"Yes, I have to agree with Mitarashi-san, the crop did seem to be of lesser grain." Danzou said as he eyed his long time rival. He knew him long enough the recognize that look in his eye…he was up to something…

"Perhaps, we will find out soon enough anyways." He said succinctly before turning slightly and calling one of his personal ANBU to appear, "Neko."

With a silent whoosh the figure known as "Cat" appeared before the aged hokage kneeling. "How may I serve, Hokage-Sama?" Said a flat voice.

"I want you and whomever is on leave right now to trail every participant of the test. I want to know exactly what they'll do to prepare." He said in a firm tone that brokered nothing short of a salute from his ANBU.

He could see the questioning looks of his two compatriots, but simply made his way out of the room. He would find out with them if this gut feeling he had held any merit.

 **XXX**

Kouken dashed along the rooftops, intent on making it to his home and begin his information gathering project. If life finally decided to cut him a break then he was going to ensure he went for it with every advantage he could get his hands on. Speaking of getting his hands on things, Kouken's pockets seemed much larger than before. The narrator couldn't help but sigh. Gone for five minutes and the boy had already stolen something, if this shinobi biz doesn't work out for him he would make a killing as a thief.

' _Finally, a chance! If I get this spot then I won't fade away! I'll be able to become somebody…I'll be remembered.'_ Kouken didn't mention or think of it much, but his fear of "Fading Away" or becoming just another face in the RDL worsened since the eviction notice. He went to bed having unpleasant thoughts and in the morning, he was greeted with an unpleasant reality. To escape it, he poured all his energy in accumulating funds. His methods ranged from D-ranks, fencing stolen goods, mugging street thugs as we had seen, and pickpocketing people in some of the nicer districts. Since then he managed to acquire almost seven grand, most amount of money he's ever seen at one time. But even with the seven grand and his meager savings he knew he would still never be able to afford a new place. Purchase one, sure, but to be able to stay there? Never.

But the time for money grabbing is finally over. Now it's time to train harder than he had ever trained before. He had to give this everything he had, because should he fail then he would have nothing to go back too.

Finally arriving at his apartment he burst through the door and quickly shut it behind him, unaware of the shadow that came in with him and settling himself in a dark corner.

Walking to his kitchen table, Kouken deposited the contents of his pockets and spread them out. It turns out he had taken everyone's Reserve-badge, a form of identification easily replaced and little value to nearly anyone. So why did he take them? Kouken went through each one, reading the name and memorizing the picture before copying it all to a sheet of paper that he folded up into his pocket. The shadow would get his answer some other time it seems. Pinkie then shoved all the badges into a small metal trash can and with a tiny ball of flame taught by the academy to start campfires, he removed all trace of his doings. Then he took out a kunai and began walking towards the corner the unknown guest hid.

The shadow began to channel miniscule amounts of chakra to its fingertips and feet and began climbing up the wall silently. Never taking its eyes off the boy and never letting even a single loose breath, the shadow watched as the boy crouched just inches below him and used the kunai to pick at a loose floorboard. Craning its neck so that it may see, the shadow watched as the boy flipped the board up to reveal numerous bags of cash, most likely his emergency funds.

Kouken rifled through it for a moment before finding the most recent addition to his savings, the $5,000 ryo he had sto-err… _acquired_ from the thugs he ran into just this morning. Picking up the sack and putting it into his pouch, Kouken replaced the board and began walking towards his door. With a quick look at the trash-bin to ensure the flames didn't burn anything it wasn't meant too and was indeed out, Kouken left the apartment with his recently acquired shadow.

Deciding time was of the essence as he really wanted to get on to his training, Kouken let his vines fly and began swinging through the air and back-alleys to his destination. Pinkie let a smile slip through his determined mask as he had thought once again, that vine was the best way to travel.

His actions had caught the shadow by surprise as it was more than accustomed to the quick methods of travel by shinobi, but it had yet to see vine swinging as one of them. Following at a more sedate pace, the shadow saw the boy land in front of what was probably one of the worst bars in the RDL. The place smelled terrible even from the roof across the street where it was watching, and the boy seemed to completely ignore the front door and opted to go down the disgusting and dark alley-way next to it. Following on the rooftop it saw Kouken pound on a metal door only to get small slot to open up where a pair of addled and twitchy eyes looked out of.

Kouken hated going here, and a large part of it was due to the actions that went on here, but he needed the services provided inside. He pounded on the door and a pair of twitchy and discolored eyes appeared.

"G-go away b-b-brat! We-We're bu-busy." The voice sounded nasally and jumpy; how very fitting for the eyes.

Kouken rolled his eyes and stuffed 500 ryo's through the slot, uncaring if he poked the man's eyes. "I'm not here for that, I need information." He said before the eye-slot slammed close and silence returned to the alley. After a few moments of waiting Kouken began to tap his shoes impatiently before deciding to just break the door down and get his information by force…and the $500 ryo.

Going through a small set of handseals, three at most and at a pretty impressive pace by the shadow's standards Kouken whispered, "Ninpo: Gori-" Just then a series of clacks and jiggling could be heard and the door opened just enough for Kouken to squeeze by. Cancelling his jutsu he tore his blue bandana around his head off and tied it around his mouth, an action that alerted the now closer shadow.

By seeing the nature of their interaction, the location of the place, and everything else about the ordeal the shadow could get a grasp at where they were going. Once the door opened up and an almost purple haze billowed out the doorway the shadow's guess was confirmed. The child was heading into an opium den.

One would think such a place wouldn't exist in the peaceful and bright village of Konohagakure, but the truth was quite the opposite. Every village had its bad places and with the Uchiha massacre, and by proxy, the collapse of the Police Force, places like these were never shut down.

The shadow, however, followed all the same. It was on a job currently, but it couldn't help but feel incredibly curious. Why would a child go to such a place, and how did he know where it even was?

Kouken scowled behind his bandana as he took in the numerous occupants of the room. There was raggedy pillows everywhere and the people laying on them looked like shit. Eyes were unfocused and glazed, defenses as low as their morals and some were even engaging in various disgusting sexual acts. The last part seemed rather impressive since they were all moving at a speed where world peace would prevail before they even made contact. Kouken ignored all this and shouldered his way through the numerous hands that grazed and tugged at him.

' _Fucking pathetic.'_ A short and contrite thought by our pink-haired hero and the narrator couldn't have said it better himself. These people were indeed pathetic and contributed in no positive way to society or those around them. They were the result of those who fade away.

He made his way over to the only normal and somewhat healthy looking person there, a woman who had some nasty scars on her face and a body that was beaten by the harsh livings she was subjugated to. She was smoking a cigarette, and was wiping a dirty counter with an equally dirty towel when Kouken sat himself down.

The woman paid him no mind, ignoring him as if he wasn't there, until she could no longer avoid the narrowed, dark blue eyes boring into her. "We don't service kids here. Get lost, and make something of yourself." She said bitterly as shit spat into a cup before wiping it down.

"I don't want your shit. What I want, is information." He threw down $1,000 ryo on the counter and the woman's demeanor quickly shifted; suddenly the mugs didn't seem to need all that cleaning anyways.

Looking left and right, the woman took the money and stuffed it into her bosom before turning back to the kid. Info was something she was happy to provide and the kid seemed to have the money for it. "What and/or who?" She asked leaning over the counter on her arms.

"Tokubetsu jonin, Anko Mitarashi." He replied.

This shocked the shadow greatly. A child, a child who wasn't even a fully-fledged genin, was doing something even chunin's don't do. Information gathering. He was in a shithole, where all info flows, and was acting with an accordance that showed he knew how the whole thing worked. It was glad it picked the pink kid; originally it did it just because his hair would make it easy to follow him, but now this was getting interesting.

The woman leaned back and went back to cleaning mugs, "Not a chance kid. Crossing crazy like that isn't something even crazy people do." She didn't seem to be giving back the money either.

Kouken gritted his teeth before grabbing more money out of the pouch. "You may be right, but it's something a greedy, reasonable, and smart person would do. Do you honestly believe that a Tokubetsu jonin like herself would know of this shithole and any of the roaches infesting it? Don't give yourself all that credit." He threw another $1,500 ryo on the table and stared at the woman who seemed to be weighing his words in her mind.

Judging by the scowl on her face, her greed was beating back her better judgement…Good. She sighed and swiped the money before leaning back in again and whispering to the pink-haired boy, "Anko Mitarashi is some big shot in the T&I Division, she's all kinds of crazy and even some you never met before. Apparently, she was the apprentice to Orochimaru before he went all bat shit. They didn't part well and she came back twice as crazy and three times stronger. She's one bad bitch." She leaned back and went back to cleaning mugs, it was obvious to Kouken that the conversation was over and he couldn't be happier.

Nodding a thanks to the bar lady, he walked away and shouldered past all the rising and grabby hands once more. Making it to the exit as quick as possible once he was back into the alley he scaled the wall and sat on the roof inhaling huge gulps of air. Ripping away the bandana he let clean, fresh air filter through his body for a little as he stewed in the information.

' _T &I and ex-apprentice to Orochimaru…I always hated snakes. Whatever this test will be, I can't go in with just my jutsu and balls or I'll be losing them there. I'm going to need a back-up plan.'_ Mulling the thoughts over some more he decided to do one thing at a time and got up from his position and began "vining" back towards the central part of Konoha.

The shadow continued to follow and at this point it was beginning to get an idea of what he would do next. It had a feeling that those stolen badges and the list the boy made is the next thing on the to-do list.

Short time later, Kouken and the shadow found themselves outside the Konoha shinobi academy. Kouken sat on a roof opposite of the building and waited watching people go in and out. Obviously, the boy seemed to be waiting for an opportunity to enact whatever plan he concocted. Fifteen minutes went by like this until a man, obviously a chunin by his dressing, exited out the main doors laughing and yelling a goodbye to some people inside. Kouken memorized every aspect about the man, from his shaggy brown hair that draped slightly over his left eye to the small scar he had going vertically from the right corner of his right eye. He put his fingers into a cross-guard and created a perfect henge of the man. Then the boy began testing his vocals trying to match the man's somewhat raspy tone by using various levels of chakra to his voice box. A neat little trick he had learned from reading an old school seduction book for kunochi when they had to pose as performers or geishas.

Once again the shadow was colored impressed by the pink-hair kid. He seemed to be a well-tuned machine when it came to the whole information and sneaking thing. Some ANBU shit right there.

Kouken jumped off the building and walked through the academy doors, moving as if he had dropped something and was looking for it. A great ploy since he was actually trying to find a room by the shadows assumption. After some walking he came to the end of a hall with one door ahead.

' _Genin files, bingo!'_ he thought victoriously but before he could open the door a voice from behind stopped him.

"Takashi? I thought you went to lunch?" said a man that looked to be around his age with black hair that was held into a small ponytail.

Turning on his heel, Kouken/Takashi, adopted a sheepish expression, "I was, but I think I left my wallet in the genin file room."

The man in question sighed and shook his head, "Honestly man, you forget nearly everything that's important."

"Yeah, well I remember what's important! And that's my lunch!" Kouken let out a laugh as he turned back towards the door and began reaching for the doorknob. He halted just centimeters from it and his eyes went wide, _'Any physical contact and my henge will break!'_

Sending a quick glance, Takashi/Kouken found that the man was still standing there and looking questioningly at him.

The shadow kept his eyes trained on the situation at hand, waiting to see how it played out for the boy. This was the thing about undercover and infiltration, often times it was the smallest thing that threw the entire thing off kilter. It was anxious to see if the boy would pull through.

"Hey, what's the matter Takashi? Wait…don't tell me you forgot your keys too?!" The man said incredulously with wide eyes.

"Ehhh…hehehe I was in a rush out the door today. It wasn't my fault! Honest!" Kouken/Takashi thanked sweet kami that this guy had a rep for forgetting things. The man sighed exasperatedly and moved to open the door for him.

"You know that Iruka is anal about these things, so you gotta remember next time! You already got chewed out twice last week!" The man chided his friend as the door clicked open and he stepped away.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll remember them next time." Kouken/Takashi said nonchalantly while waving a hand in the air dismissively. The man sighed and chuckled a bit as he began walking away, once he was out of sight Kouken pushed open the door and his henge broke on contact.

Taking a deep breath and sighing, Kouken leaned against the door. _'Man that was too fucking close! Add to the list of projects: Find a way to create a henge that won't shatter by opening a door.'_

Kouken retrieved the list he made earlier and began murmuring to himself, Going through file cabinets and searching for the names and pictures. It didn't take him that long since the place was perfectly organized, whomever was to thank for that was a beautiful human being, and he went through the files. They contained skills and notes about the student at the time of their graduation and although some might be outdated like his are he had to admit that save for some jutsu he… _liberated_ from stall owners nothing changed from his file. He also read the room back in the meeting, when the hokage brought up interrupting training only a few of them actually looked like they agreed with him and just from sizing them up, Kouken knew that they weren't completely in it.

The shadow felt itself smirk from behind his mask, this boy was indeed a fun thing to follow. He gathered info on his proctor from an opium den, info he had to _bribe_ out, and had snuck into the genin file room so he could find out about his competitors. This was information gathering, thorough and quiet. It's a shame that such skills don't really factor into passing the second genin exam otherwise the boy would've had no problem passing. The shadow watched as the boy put all the files back where he got them and made sure to erase all evidence of him being there. He even went as far to re-henge himself into Takashi and create a bushin to walk down the hallway and out the door while the real him went out the window. The shadow knew that it would be a rather interesting week.

 **XXX**

 **Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and just wanted to say/clarify a few things. First manner of business was the money he had acquired. I just wanted to let you know in case some of you didn't that the ryo system is obviously different from our American dollar system. $5,000 ryo is around $500 for us and 500 ryo is actually only $50 bucks for us. Second is that small joke about him pleading the Konoha Fifth, is about in our court system where if you plead the fifth you mean you can neither confirm nor deny this. Yeah, well anyways the final thing is the bushin and henge at the end where he was leaving, I just wanted to let you all know, again in case some of you didn't, that regular bushin can't do any jutsu except just move like an illusion. So the user would have to re-henge himself and then cast the bushin if he wanted it to come out looking like the henge'd version of himself. Alright, that's it. Hope you all enjoyed this and lemme know what ya'll think!**


	3. Chapter 3: Those Eyes

**What up guys?! Wow, first of all, terrific feedback already. Thanks to all who favorited and followed and especially to you, War Sage. Also a thank you to whoever dropped a review, love those things. So I won't be updating this regularly, but I felt that you guys didn't really get a taste of any combat yet and I felt bad. I'm currently on like my sixth chapter of this story I believe? So I'll be sending the others out once they've been edited. If you have any questions regarding the story and what roads I'll be taking, do not hesitate to ask. I promise I will answer them as long as it doesn't spoil anything good for you. Also, here are the translation for the jutsu's:**

 **Hana Ninpo: Natsui Hana- flower ninja art: Scorching Petal(Flower)**

 **Ninpo: Goriki- "Go" Five "Riki" Strength. I got the jutsu from a Naruto gamer fic and all credit goes to Legend of Kyuubi for it.**

 **Hana Ninpo: Kage Kouhan Tsuru: Flower Ninja Art: Shadow Whipping Vine.**

The week given in preparation for the test went by quick for Kouken and his shadow. The boy practically slept at the training grounds and didn't stop working until he was either satisfied or forced to move onto something else due to time. He had focused on the speed in which he could fire his techniques off; decreasing the time used to make the seals and how long he would have to wait to cast another one.

That was an interesting fact not a lot of people knew about ninja's, that casting too many jutsu's too quickly could strain or even damage your chakra coils. For kids the risk was higher, but since most kids didn't know a lot of chakra intensive jutsu's there weren't many accidents.

Pinkie trained on combinations and figuring out the best way to use his jutsu's in conjunction to achieve a greater affect. It seemed that the boy favored his vines for many things, keeping someone at distance, making the enemy split his focus, throwing them off balance, and to create openings where he would be able to engage in hand-to-hand with his _Ninpo: Goriki_ active.

Still, after all this training Kouken still felt as if he wasn't ready; even the shadow could see his doubt. The boy was currently walking home with only one day left, after today, and the pressure was definitely getting to him.

' _I only get this one shot, and if I blow it then I'll be no more important than those opium addicts…'_ Kouken clenched his fist and scowled disgustedly. To be considered of equal value as those wastes made his insides boil and churn. Even after failing his secondary genin exam Kouken knew that he was worth far more than them. _'After the info I got on Mitarashi-san I knew I would need a back-up plan. Something that would give me the highest chance of passing should all else fail, but I can't seem to find one!'_

Kouken closed his eyes and threw a punch at the wall next to him. At this rate, fading away would be all that was in store for him. Tears threatened to spill, he was just that frustrated and worried. The narrator didn't even want to make a snarky comment after watching all that the boy did to ensure he would pass. Even he felt that the boy deserved it, if nothing else, he knew that the boy definitely did _not_ deserve to fade away.

The shadow watched the boy as it had been doing for the past week and could see the turmoil plaguing him. It knew of the fears that assaulted his mind, almost all shinobi did. Due to their dangerous life-style and selective skills brought on by their militant upbringing there wasn't much outside of being a shinobi. Anything else felt…civilian to them, and that was almost the same as being nothing. Being a failure.

As always, the shadow watched and waited, seeing just what the boy would do next to further ensure his passing.

Kouken sat on a bench and stared at the fiery sky. The sun was a good portion through its descent and bathed the sky in an amazing display of burning colours. Kouken always liked the sunset, even though the sun was setting and disappearing from view, in its last moments it created the most beautiful sights. It went out in a blaze of beauty and glory, demanding attention from everyone and reminding them that it would rise again tomorrow. That was how he felt if he was fated to fade away; he would rather go out like the setting sun and have his final moments swathed in fire.

Tearing his gaze from the natural artwork in the sky, Kouken noticed a store with a sign out front. It read that there was a sale on explosive tags, a rather expensive piece of shinobi hardware. For the price of two, which was around twelve grand he would get another two _free!_

That was quite the deal. Kouken hoped that it would be around when-if, he passes his test and can afford such luxuries. Kouken stared back at the setting sun when his dark blue eyes widened in alarm.

' _A blaze of glory, huh? Swathed in fire….Yeah, that would do just fine…'_ He thought with renewed vigor as he began staking out the store in front of him. Stealing those tags would be out of the question as it is considered a capital offence and he would get easily caught. Not to mention that he was still in the nicer part of town and that a shinobi store like that had all the luxuries to ensure that their highly trained cliental wouldn't be able to use their skills to just take them. So then that begged the question, "Where, or, from whom would he get the money from?"

And then it hit him. Not even seconds later Kouken was already far away, vine-whipping at breakneck speeds towards his home.

The shadow had watched everything from the boy's face, the flow of emotions from despair to longing to determination and finally settling on the look of a man with a plan. If it wasn't so highly trained it would've cheered to itself that the show wouldn't end here. Whatever the boy was doing, it hopes he does it before twelve tonight, as the shadow has to report to Lord Hokage by then.

 **XXX**

Kouken had arrived back to at his apartment rather quickly and stayed just long enough to don an all-black outfit. From head to toe he was covered in black and even had a black bandana covering his face and hair completely. Nothing that would give away any personal and identifying features was shown. After one check in the mirror the boy was back out the door and into the night.

The shadow followed sedately, but was anxious; it was already ten o'clock and it has yet to see any course of action from the boy. All he and it were doing was sitting on the roof just adjacent to the building that housed the opium den. The shadow saw the look on Pinkie's face and knew that he had a plan; it just wanted to see what his plan was…for a more detailed report to Lord Hokage, of course.

Hours ticked by and it wasn't until 11:20 pm, just forty more minutes until the shadow had to report in did the boy finally move.

Kouken jumped down from the roof he was on and landed in front of that familiar rusty steel door. He felt nervous, but didn't understand why. He had done things similar to this before, he had stolen, antagonized thugs into fighting and looting them afterwards; this was just another notch under his belt in the grand scheme of things.

' _But never something so frontal and big…'_ He knew that was right, Kouken had never planned to attack a place like this and steal from it, but he needed more than just pocket change. He breathed deeply and readied himself, _'Just think of it as another thug who's getting looted. Just a building size thug…full of smaller thugs…yeah.'_

At this the narrator couldn't help but roll his eyes. That had got to be the worst attempt at relaxing oneself he has ever seen. This boy would not make a good counselor or therapist, that's for sure.

Going through handsigns that the shadow recognized its eyes went wide as it realized Pinkie's plan. The boy was going to rob the opium den!

" _Ninpo: Goriki_!" The boy cried as enhanced strength flooded his body. He leaned back and threw his right foot against the rusty door, denting it severely by the handle and making a terrible sound. Readying his foot once more he kicked the door and watched as it flew into the place sending people scrambling.

"HEY MAN! YOU CA-" exclaimed the same lanky and jumpy man Kouken had met last time before he punched the man in the chest sending him flying into a table. People began screaming and dashing past the completely black stranger for the exit while a few muscular guys came running towards the boy with weapons.

It seemed that even a place as shitty as this had its own security…Suppose any place that supplied drugs had too; addicts could do crazy things.

Kouken didn't even bother playing with them as he wanted to be out of this place before any other form of street authority came. " _Hana Ninpo: Kage Kouhan Tsuru_." He said calmly as he threw out his arms from which dozens of vines came shooting from his sleeves. Many of the thugs began hacking away at the vines with their weapons but there were too many and it was only moments later that all of them were tied together with their wrists and ankles bound.

Kouken ran through the place burning any stash of opium he could find; if he was going to rob the place might as well put it out of business too. After all this is his neighborhood and he thought a good deed like this might make up for what he was doing. His thoughts were interrupted by a yell and kouken was sent sprawling from a punch he blocked last minute.

' _Of course I zone out while robbing a place! What the fuck, Kouken! Stupid will get you dead!'_ he berated himself as he looked at the mountain of a man that hit him. It was the same Fatty that he fought in the streets almost a week ago! Under his black mask, Kouken smiled maliciously at the realization, he would get another chance to play and this time nobody to report anything if things got too rough for their entertainment.

Fatty, as we know him, was not having a good week. After getting his shit kicked, robbed, laughed at by everyone, and almost losing his tongue for all of it his boss had threw him out of the gang. He had lost his job because of some brat and went hungry for two days before he managed to land this gig as an enforcer to an opium den. It was easy work, everyone who got high couldn't even harm a fly and the addicts who came in broke were too sick to even really start anything. But now it was all going to shit again by some black clothed midget! He swore that he had the worst luck, but it would be this asshole in front of him that would pay for it.

He charged Kouken with an enraged roar and swiped his arms at him to get him in a bear hug. His grab met nothing but air as Kouken dropped to the ground and launched both his feet straight at his unprotected stomach.

Fatty backed up a couple of steps and was gasping for air, the midget hit harder than the kid did and that only pissed him off more. He wouldn't be made a fool again! Standing straight again he saw that the midget was waiting patiently for him to recover and charged once more. This time, however, he didn't do anything over-committing or super dangerous; he simply threw punch after punch at the continuously dodging form of our robber.

Kouken was actually enjoying himself immensely; the nervousness he felt quickly bled away and turned into adrenaline pumping excitement. There wasn't a greater feeling in the world to him than all the hard work and training he put in paying off and actually being used in a combat situation. He was so caught up in the thrill of the fight that he completely forgotten of his limits, and the strain his _Ninpo: Goriki_ placed on him.

A wave of exhaustion hit him like a freight train and caused him to stumble momentarily over one of the numerous pillows coating the floor. Fatty saw this and took the opening for all that it was worth. Unfortunately for Kouken, it was worth quite some pain. Fatty rushed the boy and grabbed his shoulder to keep him from moving away and threw his meaty left-hook straight into the boy's stomach. Kouken felt the air leave his lungs and he even felt his lunch rising to escape out his mouth when a second hand grabbed his left leg and lifted him up.

Now in the air and securely held by Fatty, the boy began to sweat. He lashed out with his vines hoping to either trip the man or somehow get him to let go, and they did just that by wrapping around the man's thick neck. Kouken didn't want to kill the man but as he constricted the vines around his neck the grip on him began to lessen and it was within moments that Fatty was brought to his knees and clawing at the vines. Kouken landed awkwardly away from Fatty and held the vines there until the man passed out, then tied him up and made sure he wouldn't get free with that ridiculous strength of his. Turning off his strength enhancing technique left him panting and leaning against a wall. His stomach was bruised as hell and he felt pretty empty for using his jutsu for so long.

' _Fucking retarded is what I am! First fight that isn't a street brawl and I lose my head and nearly get killed for it! Maybe there's a reason I'm not a genin yet…'_ he thought bitterly as he made his way through the rest of the place burning all the drugs. He may've been hard on himself but that was because he held himself to a higher standard; the only price for perfection was the work you put in, but the price for failure and mediocracy could be your very life. That was what he believed, and was why he worked so damn hard to ensure everything about him was at the best of his abilities. In short, he was a perfectionist.

He finally reached what appeared to be the boss's room and it was clearly empty. He searched the place and all of its drawers until he came upon an open floor safe.

' _Don't tell me he took everything!'_ the boy panicked and almost felt tears rise at another of his failures when he grabbed a lamp on the desk in front of him and threw it against a painting in rage. He would've probably trashed the room if it hadn't been for the fall of the painting revealing a closed wall safe. Overjoyed and excited that this wasn't for naught he rushed it and tried to open it.

' _Locked…I have enough chakra to activate Goriki for about thirty seconds…Let's hope it's just as sturdy as their front door.'_ He flashed through the handsigns and felt the drain on his chakra as he began pulling at the handle. At first nothing happened but as he tugged one could hear the metal groaning and before long the door was half pulled open. With one final tug the door came flying off and he deactivated the jutsu immediately; panting, Kouken rifled through the safe and his luck finally held out.

Inside was wads of cash, and although not as much as he hoped, he was sure that if he combined all his savings it would be enough. Not sparing a second glance the boy disappeared back into the night, finally free of his shadow.

 **XXX**

Morning came for the Kouken and he rushed through his rituals. It was currently eight o'clock and the test was in an hour, he had to get to the store and back home to prepare before it would make him late to training ground 34. Rushing to the store that held the sale he saw yesterday he piled all of the cash he had, totaling about $120,456 ryo on the counter. His eyes filled with relief as he had just 456 ryo left over, practically nothing, but to him that meant he had enough to buy his future. The man at the counter handed over four explosive tags and was in the process of showing the boy how they worked before the kid just thanked him and ran.

Kouken already knew how to activate them and he didn't have much time left to get to the testing site, even with the speed he was vine-whipping he would probably be the last to arrive. Stopping his travel and crouching on a building the pink haired boy began to take his shirt off. The narrator wasn't sure what the hell Pinkie was stripping for, but he definitely had a bad feeling about it.

With an overjoyed smile Kouken began attaching the explosive notes to his chest and placed his shirt back overtop, covering them from view. He went back to the air and the smile wouldn't leave his face, despite how serious of a move he was pulling. _'I'd rather end like that sunset, gloriously burning, then to go out like an ember…'_

The narrator was shitting his pants! This kid was going to blow himself up if he failed! The little fucker was using a suicide bomb as his BACK-UP PLAN! That crazy shit got the inspiration from a fucking sunset?! Who the hell looks at a sunset and goes, "Yeah, I should blow my retard ass up!" All of his training and working and promises to get a better life would be over! This kid was so afraid of failing and fading away that he would rather die…The narrator didn't know what to say, or even think of it. Crazy yeah, but above all else, the narrator couldn't help but see it as sad. Sad that a child would be so motivated by the fear of a plain life he would take his own life…The shinobi lifestyle took its victims off the battlefield as well it seems.

Sure enough Kouken landed at the testing site at last, and it seemed everyone else was already there. He paid them all no mind and just stared determinedly at the trench-coat wearing woman. This would be his remembrance.

 **XXX**

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood with a stony visage off to the side with his long-time friend and rival Danzou Shimura. The two stayed out of the testing areas borders and waited patiently for it to begin.

Danzou did not mind the quiet, but he did when Hiruzen was near. Silence just didn't fit the man and it made him uneasy, worried of what the cause was. That was what it was like when his friend was quiet, something got him that way and it would keep him so until it was resolved. What got him that way was those reports he had gotten from the ANBU following the children, something he wasn't privy too and judging by his lack of reaction when every child arrived he assumed the one to cause such trouble had yet to do so.

He saw the action was pointless and foolish to trail the children, but now he was wishing he had his ROOT do the same. Just then the final child arrived and his long-time friend finally moved. He simply tipped his hat and gripped his smoking pipe… Looking at the child to arrive, he saw it was the interruptive pink-haired one from last meeting.

"So he's the child that has got you like this? Tell me, Hiruzen, did the report say he kicked kittens and killed monkeys?" Danzou asked dryly. He was curious, but insulting each other was simply how they operated.

"You shall see soon enough, I have told Anko to make this quick, so watch close. It'll be over within minutes." This got Danzou confused, why would the man order the test giver to make it even harder for them to succeed? They were hoping for success, not trying to suffocate it.

Their attention was shifted as Anko began talking.

"As you all were made aware, I am the proctor of this test as well as your sensei in the unlikely event you succeed. Your goal is to land one hit on me and will only be disqualified if you are knocked out. You have an hour to complete the test, but believe me, _none of you will make it past the 5-minute marker._ " She said as her face turned downright terrifying. Like the time at the meeting she was unleashing a terrible arura, three times as worse than the first time and all the kids were feeling the effects.

Kouken felt paralyzed with fear, the only thing moving from his body was his eyes that darted around to all the other contestants and the bead of sweat that traveled down his head. He took in a sharp breath and felt the crinkle of the tags under his shirt, a reminder that this test would only end in one of two ways.

' _This fear is nothing compared to that of fading away.'_ He told himself as he readied a kunai and prepared for the test to begin.

Anko smiled as she saw the few that were able to shake the fear away readied themselves. They would be the first to go. She flashed through handsigns quicker than any of the kids could react and two kids standing a few yards from Pinkie that were in a taijutsu stance were sent flying as twin pillars of stone rushed out from under them.

"Doton: Rising Twin Pillars…oh yeah, _begin._ " Anko said with a smile as all hell broke loose. Those two kids were definitely out for the count as they landed on their heads and were not getting back up. A child to her left that was able to beat her KI rushed her with a kunai out. The boy then threw the blade and tried to follow up with a punch where she would've dodged to. Key word was tried. Anko leaned back with snake-like grace and whipped her leg out, catching the boy in the temple, and spun with snake lashing out of her sleeve to grab the boy by the ankle. As she spun the snake grew longer and she used the boy's body to create distance and knock out kids who were too slow to react or still under the paralyzing affects of her KI.

With a flick of her wrist the snake receded and the boy was sent flying through the air towards Kouken. Cursing the boy ran towards the fray and vaulted over the boy's unconscious and airborne form once it came close. He flicked out a vine of his own towards a tree branch and disappeared into the canopy and watched the fight from a distance throwing shuriken and kunai when he thought he saw an opening.

The fight wasn't going well for any of the kids down there and almost a quarter of the twenty were knocked out already. To his surprise, Kouken saw cookie jar kid still standing and fighting, but quickly realized that it was because Anko was toying with him. Kouken let loose a snarl as he saw the grin on the bitch's face, this was their futures she was crushing and she found it fun?!

Flashing through handseals kouken sent a wave of flaming flower petals towards her once she knocked the boy away from the danger. " _Hana Ninpo: Natsui Hana_!" He yelled before sending out a bushin to rush the woman while he substituted to another branch across the clearing.

Anko looked on strangely as she heard the jutsu's name and laughed as flaming flower petals came rushing at her. She dodged all of them with ease and nearly insulted such a girly jutsu when she saw that the flower petals had pierced the ground around her and set the grass aflame. Fire now blazed behind her in the shape of a U, preventing any space for her to jump away. Of course she could put them out with a water jutsu, but that would've taken her attention away from the fight. She almost sent a snake into the tree it came from when the pink haired kid jumped out and came rushing at her.

"Hahaha of course it's the kid with the pink hair that uses flower jutsus!" Anko sneered at the boy as she tried to enrage him. It seemed to do the trick as the boy continued his charge and cocked his fist back to punch her when he suddenly faded away merely feet from her.

' _Tch, I knew I should've just sent that snake instead. Fucking bushins.'_ She thought with a scowl as other children rushed her and Pinkie was pushed to the back of her mind.

The two elderly spectators raised an eyebrow at jutsu's used by the pink-hair child. Both the vine and the flower petal were moves that one would find in Kusagakure and they were surprised by the move, cutting off her retreat instead of trying to land the single hit. Most children if they had such a jutsu would've tried to use it to get their win, but this boy was using it to shape the battlefield; but to what end, they wondered?

Kouken sat in a tree-branch located behind the woman who had rushed out to meet the remaining children in a brutal taijutsu bout. He had given more than enough time for Cookie-jar kid to get away and recover with his jutsu, but it seemed that the boy just rushed back in, recklessly trying to get his hit. Anko had let a snake down from her sleeve and gripped the boy's leg when he over-extended a kick. Holding him upside down she cocked her fist back and launched it straight at his face with a crunch.

' _Poor bastard…'_ Kouken winced as she used the boy unconscious form to block some punches and kicks from assaulting kids before using it as a club and tossing it away. There were now a little less than half the kids present and Kouken had yet to see a single opening. He decided the best thing to do was stay at a distance and pepper here with his scorching flower petal jutsu. If he missed it would simply create more fire and chaos that he could use to his advantage.

Jumping from tree to tree so that he wouldn't get caught he began his flower-powered assault; every fifteen seconds a volley of about a dozen flaming flower petals came at her, always from a different angle. She was starting to get really ticked off by the brat's hit and run tactics and she couldn't get to him until she dealt with all the even less important or worthy kids in front of her. With a burst of speed she ran through the crowd of about nine kids and struck at their necks; when she came to a stop all nine kids dropped to the floor completely out.

Smirking she went through some handsigns and used the nearby river to douse the flames that covered the training ground. " _Suiton: Suidan no jutsu_. C'mon out brat! You're all that's left!" She called out as smoke filled the training ground.

Kouken cursed as the smoke was his only fleeting cover left to get down there without getting spotted. Thinking quickly he sent another bushin out and disappeared in a burst of speed himself. From the annoyed curse he heard, Anko took the bait and he removed one of the downed kids from the clearing and put himself in the same spot henge'd as him.

Currently he was the kid who he vaulted over in the beginning of the test and he would remain that way until the woman came close enough to him that he could use his vines like she did with her snakes. That was the plan at least until a shadow fell over his form and he turned in horror to see the woman smiling cheerfully over him.

"Hiya brat!" She chirped and waved a two finger salute.

"Oh fuck." He said simply before her smile turned to its natural unnatural state. Anko lashed out with a vicious kick to his ribs that broke his henge and sent him tumbling across the clearing. Whipping out a kunai and stabbing the ground to stop his roll he got into a crouch position before spinning on the kunai and sending a kick of his own at the charging woman.

Anko jumped over the kick and brought her knees to her chest and attempted to stomp on the boy but he completed his spin kick by ripping the kunai out of the ground and holding it so she would fall on it. She most likely would've had it not been for her snake-like mobility and she twisted her body in mid-air so the only thing to taste the bite of his kunai was her coat. Now that both of them were on the ground and in such proximity, Anko wrapped her legs around the boy's arm and pulled hard, trying to dislocate it.

Kouken screamed in pain as he felt his arm being pulled from his socket and began clawing at the woman's leg in vain. Breathing hard he realized that he needed the dislocation if he was ever going to get out of the hold so Kouken jerked his body upwards and towards the snake-lady. When the pop was heard he took his chance and rolled out of the woman's grip and vine created three bushins then vine-whipping away.

Again, the elderly onlookers felt their eyebrow's raise in surprise. For the boy to attack with such ferocity despite all the futility and then grasp the situation he was in with the hold and turning it on her to get away was quite the spectacle. Danzou liked the boy's ability to quickly understand where and what he was in and do exactly whatever he needed to get out of it. Reminded him of himself, at a much younger age.

Hiruzen liked the boy's guts tempered by his mind. He wasn't called The Professor just because he knew so many techniques, it was also because he knew nearly every application of said technique. The way the boy used his limited jutsu's to shape the battlefield and usage of the henge to get close were all signs that he practiced long after he mastered a move.

Back in the fight Kouken panted as he leaned against a tree, his face was covered in sweat as he gripped his dislocated shoulder. He bit down on a branch as he popped it back into place and blinked hard to get rid of the stars swarming his view. This fight wasn't graceful and it wasn't clean. It was anything goes and everything to ensure victory. Good thing he thought of that way in advance.

"For a kid you sure do got balls." She said in a thoughtful voice. Kouken felt the warm breath on his neck and before he could even twist his neck he felt two feet plant themselves in his back and launch him back towards the clearing.

He landed roughly almost right back where he first started, near the twin pillars of stone. Anko jumped down looking almost perfect if not for the soot covering her face from his techniques and the tear in her jacket.

"I gotta give you credit for lasting this long, but it's over. I think we both know I've seen all your tricks and repeating them expecting different results is insanity." She said as if she herself wasn't insane. Kouken couldn't hold back the snort and rose into his taijutsu stance ready to charge when he heard her groan in annoyance.

"Oooohhhh my god! Can we just call it already!? Face the facts kid, you cannot win!" She yelled as she threw her hands up in exasperation. "I've got things to do, people to torture! Why do you gotta make it you that I'm wasting my time with!" Kouken glared at her hard.

"Are you saying I should just give up?" He asked venomously. "To just say fuck it and go home?!" He glared at the woman in front of him; how dare she ignore all his effort and just tell him to _**quit.**_

"Yeah! That's exactly what I'm saying! Listen kid, do me a favor and just fade away will ya?" She said as she began cleaning her ear out with her pinkie.

Time seemed to slow for Kouken as his arms fell back to his sides and he dipped his head, overshadowing his eyes.

Anko looked on and thought she almost had him, just a few more pushes and he'd quit. "Go back to your home and be content with being another face. Konoha has warm people and you'd enjoy being in the background, safe and free of danger. Hell you wouldn't even have that much of a purpose! All you have to do is just… exist! Nice, lazy life you could have."

Kouken felt his heart pound in his ears, he couldn't even hear her anymore. All he heard was his blood rushing and the words, "Fade away…" He began to shake and unbeknown to the bitch in front of him, he activated his _Goriki_.

On the sidelines where they could hear everything, Danzou and Hiruzen exchanged looks. They knew from experience what was about to happen; the boy was going to blow. Anko must've managed to hit the one thing that every shinobi has, a trigger. They saw how his arms began shaking and him balling his fists up and knew they were about to see whether he would give in or snap.

Vines began slithering out of his sleeves and snaking through the grass towards the pillars, but still Anko continued. "Just fade back into the Reserve forces so I can go back to earning my promotion."

This…disgusting, detestable, deranged, and despicable **whore** was asking him to Fade Away…so that she may earn her promotion? The pounding in his ears rose in volume and speed until it was just one continuous sound.

"…Shut up." He whispered, and all sound vanished.

"I'm sorry, what was that brat? You're mumbling." Anko asked as she leaned in and turned her ear towards him.

"I said…Shut. Up." Kouken said again, forcing out each word as his vines circled around the pillars and began to tighten like a rubber band.

"Ooooo, did I make you mad? Which part was it exactly?" She said with a smile and began walking towards him.

Kouken began walking backwards with his eyes still shadowed, "To fade away…That's what you asked me…All for the sake of your **damned** promotion." His arms rose from his sides as the vines were tight enough to raise off the ground, yet he continued to walk backwards.

Anko stopped once she noticed the vines and smirked. The stupid brat was telegraphing his move so outrageously bad that she couldn't help but want to teach him a lesson. Fine, if he was going to do something so stupid then he's gonna get burned for it. Anko began going through hand signs for a fire jutsu when he opened his mouth again.

"I will **NEVER** Fade Away!" He said furiously as his steps began to get strained and his feet were digging into the dirt. He never would've been able to take this many steps back if not for his enhanced strength from Goriki and he sent out even more vines to strengthen the cables that would launch him. The stone that was holding the vines began to crack under the strength of the pull and only the two spectators took notice. He looked up at Anko with a furious gaze, his eyes that of a raging sea that would sooner swallow all that dared before calming. Anko took notice and rolled her eyes at what she thought was overly dramatic, but once more the Hokage and his rival knew better.

Kouken's arms were shaking with the restrained power of a catapult and the pull was destroying his arms, especially his once dislocated shoulder. In one small motion of picking up his legs he was launched forward at his target at blisteringly fast speeds.

Anko finished her hand seals, and breathed out a fireball to make the kid divert his course. It was only to her and everyone's alarm that the boy held no intention of dodging it and she immediately tried to cut off the chakra so that the boy wouldn't get burned too badly.

It didn't work.

Kouken raised his arms in a cross guard to protect his face and closed his eyes as he speared right through the fireball. He could feel the burns and wanted to open his mouth and scream, but he held it in. Moments later, Kouken flew out of the fire ball with his shirt in tatters and explosive tags rigged to blow straight at Anko.

"I'D RATHER DIE BURNING FURIOUSLY LIKE THE SUN THAN FADE AWAY, YOU STUPID BITCH!" He roared and glared wildly at her.

Anko was stunned, in fact, she didn't even move when he came closer and closer. She was trapped, wide-eyed and stiff, from that wild look in his eyes. So when the boy crashed into her and latched on, it was almost in slow motion that she saw the boy forming the "Kai" seal to detonate the both of them.

The last thing Kouken saw, was the dumbfounded and stupid look on her face before all went black.

 **XXX**

Hiruzen sighed and rubbed his temples at the mess that happened. In front of him, in his office, was Anko, Danzou, and the ANBU that tailed Kouken, Rat. Anko was still a little shocked that the boy almost blew the both of them up and would've had it not been for Danzou and Hiruzen. Danzou had knocked the boy out while Hiruzen pulled Anko underground the moment they saw the explosive tags on his chest.

To make sense of things, Hirzuen ordered Rat to give Danzou and Anko his report again. And it made things even more stressful.

Danzou had practically adopted the child when he found out all the information gathering the boy did even as all the children were leaving the first meeting.

Anko found it funny that kid fights and steals from street thugs.

None of them knew what to make from him spending his entire savings for a suicide technique. Why would a child of fourteen seek to end his life he if couldn't complete an experimental test?!

Rat had explained that over the course of the week he had seen increasing signs of desperation and restless sleep, obviously, something was afflicting him; a fear that he couldn't shake. With the performance and actions shown in the test the three of them could figure out that it was, "Fading away." The Hokage felt the onslaught of déjà vu as the boy's particular fear reminded him of another hopeful ninja and how that fear drove him to insanity. All of them sat silently while Rat fidgeted slightly gaining his superiors attention.

"Something you wish to add, Rat?" The hokage asked curiously.

"…Lord Hokage…" Rat began, struggling to find its words. "Permission to speak freely?" He requested hesitantly.

Now that was an odd request, Rat practically never spoke and the Hokage was pretty sure he joined the ANBU forces for the sole reason that he wouldn't have to speak much. Hiruzen waved his approval as Rat rose to speak.

"I have watched this boy do everything a shinobi would do and more for the sole sake of passing a simple test. His preparation was thorough and completely beyond what any other participant even attempted. His training and application of his skills shows that the boy is unsatisfied with his level and eager to expand. He lives alone in a place any other child wouldn't want to even dream about and he embraces it so that he may _use_ it. I believe that despite what happened, he deserves to become a shinobi. He has _earned_ this." Rat said passionately. When he had found out that the boy had used the funds from his night-time raid to purchase explosive tags for a suicide technique he was shocked. He felt sickened, with himself and with what drove the boy to do something so extreme. He sat there, watching the boy get eaten alive by his fears and he didn't do a single thing to help him… None of his experience in the field or training in ANBU had prepared him for this feeling. He felt that with all the boy was willing to give, he himself, didn't feel worthy of his mask.

Silence reigned through the office as everyone sat mulling over his words.

"Hokage-sama…" Anko said as she gripped her chair's armrests tightly. That wild look flashed across her eyes; desperate and hauntingly familiar. It felt like a lifetime ago that she had seen those eyes and she felt as if she could keep the boy from such a fate. "I would like to request to take the boy on as a student." She said and stared determinedly into her Hokage's eyes.

Hiruzen sat there and honestly didn't know what to think; he saw a lot of fear and desperation in those eyes of his; but it was the way he moved and fought that reminded him of someone else. He just wasn't sure if this was a good call anymore… Looking over to his friend Danzou for support he saw the man nod slowly and Hiruzen closed his eyes. He truly hoped this wouldn't end in tragedy.

"Tokubetsu jonin, Anko Mitarashi, I give you clearance to take on Kouken Izoumaru as your student. You goal is to get him up chunin level strength by years end, do I make myself clear?" He asked in an authoritative voice.

"Hai! Hokage-sama!" She said and snapped off a firm salute.

"Then you are dismissed, collect your student from the infirmary, and begin your mission." He said and tipped his hokage's hat. As the door closed behind her Hiruzen stared at the picture of Kouken and slammed a green, "accepted" stamp across his file.

 **And that's a wrap. Imma be honest, I'm starting to get excited because I can't wait to take it down this route I got planned out and the next chapter is going to be critical with character development. It'll be the first marker that we see of Kouken going down a winding road. Let me know what ya'll think! This is me, signing out!**


	4. Chapter 4: Waking Up in Hell

**AYYYY LMAO I HAVE YET TO DO ANY WORK ON THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER! Guys, I don't wanna abandon this like all my other stories, help me. Okay so a big fucking thank you to all your follows and favorites! Huge help with the story and please by all means enjoy this chapter!**

When Kouken awoke, he was greeted by white lights, white halls, and people dressed in white. Was he in heaven? Absolutely not, the narrator said to himself, if anything all that stealing would land you in hotter climate but thankfully for Kouken, and the narrator, he was in the hospital. As soon as he woke he wanted to know what happened and if he passed or not. Sadly, the moment he woke, he was met with a psychiatric evaluation, so that meant more questions. A lot more.

The Yamanaka that was viewing him had swore he didn't peek inside his mind, but Kouken wasn't so sure. This guy knew everything about him and even things he didn't say out loud, so he must've taken a swan dive into his mind while he was out. Even more infuriating was the fact that this guy didn't know anything if he had passed or not, just that he was ordered by Lord Hokage to perform an evaluation. So Kouken had to explain everything leading up to the events of his meltdown and almost suicide.

Apparently, the man believed what had caused this was that Kouken was barely holding on financially and when the eviction notice came desperation and fear set it. That fear and desperation was accented by his daily interactions with people who have already lost in life and made the fear of becoming one of them more physical. His subconscious fear of fading away was projected and amplified by the accumulation of all that and the stress of his future hinging on a test a week away. Kouken had felt that if he failed the test he would fail in life and as a shinobi and all this lead to his meltdown which was brought to bear during the test.

That was what the man wrote in his report; however, he didn't get this far without noticing warning signs. The man, Inochi, believed that these fears wouldn't go away on their own; but hoped that with a sensei to teach and guide him, his fear of inferiority, and by proxy, failing would subside. That being said, Inochi did write for the boy to have check-ups so that they may monitor him and ensure that everything goes smoothly.

To himself, Inochi had to admit there were a startling amount of similarities between him and another famous psychological case that didn't end well. He only hoped that this time things would go differently otherwise they would be forced to take cautionary actions.

After their meeting, Inochi bid the boy goodbye and he just laid there…waiting. For something.

' _I'm soooooooooooo bored! Holy Fuck! Is this part of my evaluation? Is this another test to see if I crack? Did that Yamanaka plant that thought in my head to make me believe that when it's not true? Or is that what he wanted me to think so I would act normally and they could evaluate me more accurately? Wait…What were they evaluating me for? Oh yeah, suicide bomber. I wonder if that Anko chick is okay? Am I okay? What really can be considered, 'Okay?' Is there any purpose to life other than just being, 'Okay?'_

Alrighty then, the narrator has officially decided to never narrate Pinkie's mind when he's bored. They can take it off his paycheck, but he is not narrating that retarded babble. Honestly, this kid wants to be a ninja so bad, but he's too busy trying to figure out the philosophical and physical definition of okay to notice that Anko chick is standing right there.

Anko sighed as she looked at the brat's face. He looked lost, broken almost… _'I bet he thinks he failed.'_ Anko would get flashes of that wild look in his eyes and think back to a time when that was much more common to her. And to think that this brat was on the Reserved Forces; there was so much potential and his file was so outdated that it showed all this new development was done on his own time. To get that strong all by yourself, Anko almost felt giddy at the thought of training this kid. But first she had to bring him back to life, to tell him that he won't fade away, and, most of all, that she would be his sen-

"Yep! The word, "Okay," can most definitely not be used as a psychological term for it being too neutral. Man that was really bothering me!" He said out loud, completely interrupting Anko's touching internal monologue.

Speaking of Anko, she wasn't doing "Okay" anymore; in fact, she was three hundred percent sure her new student was autistic. Great.

"Hey, brat!" She said as she smacked his feet to get his attention.

"Oh! Anko, right? Yeah…..Sorry for trying to blow you up. No hard feelings?" He asked as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah and no, there's definitely some, "Hard feelings," but we'll get to that later." She said as she made air quotes with her fingers. "I bet you're wondering if you passed, huh?" Like a switch all relaxed demeanor in the boy vanished and was replaced with lethal seriousness.

"Yes."

"You did."

"Great."

"That's it?"

"Waiting for you to leave to celebrate. You're hot and all but this hospital gown is drafty."

"Well then get dressed and meet me in the reception room in five." And with that she left, making her way to the waiting room. As she rounded the corner she could easily hear, "HELL FUCKING YEAH!" as if the walls were made of paper. She couldn't fight the smirk forming on her face and could already tell that training the brat would be fun.

Moments later, Kouken left the room a mess, but dressed. Since he didn't have any confetti for the occasion he tore up the curtain and made do. Sure, it was a dick move since somebody had to clean it, but he finally became a genin, so they would just have to suck it up. He found his sensei harassing some male orderly and he pitied the guy, apparently the man did not like snakes and Anko was trying to convince him otherwise by using them. Liberally.

"Anko-sensei!" He called out gaining the woman's attention and the man a chance to run.

"That feels a bit weird, we're gonna have to work on it." Anko thought for a bit after a frown filled her face, she didn't get a chance to convince the guy how great snakes were.

"Anyways, what's first?" Kouken asked as he came to a stop next to her. He was definitely chipper, and Anko couldn't wait to change that.

"Nothing yet, we're going to see the Hokage and do all the necessary paper-work." Both her and Kouken shared a look of disgust at paper-work.

"You too, huh?" She asked with a nod.

"They kept sending me applications and forums to fill out every two months to see if I had wanted to stay enlisted as a shinobi. Fucking hated it." He said with a grimace, "How bout you?"

"Being in T&I gets you a lot of paper-work, but the worst is filling out accident forums when I'm training the new guys. Pussies." Anko clearly didn't like weak-willed people, but Kouken had a feeling that his sensei was something most people couldn't handle anyway.

They made the rest of their short walk in silence and once they did arrive, Anko didn't even stop at the receptionist. Kouken did, however, and the lady working there smiled at him. Before he could even give her their appointment Anko came back and grabbed him by the ear and walked to the stairs.

"We do not socialize with the secretary. Got that brat?" She said as she twisted his ear.

"Ow! What the fuck?! No, the only person who got anything around here is you and that's my fucking ear!" Kouken yelled as he tried to get out of her vice-like grip.

Anko frowned and twisted harder until the boy finally said yes and they continued walking up the stairs. He spared a glance back and the secretary was glaring at the both of them.

"Great, now she's glaring at me too." He mumbled as he rubbed his ear.

"I'm sorry, was that a complaint I heard?" She asked sweetly. Definitely a trap.

"No, of course not! If I had a complaint, I'm sure I would need to have properly documented and filed through the proper channels." He replied sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

"Keep giving me cheek and I can just not train you." She replied with a shrug as if she didn't care.

That shut him up quickly and like their walk here, the walk to the Hokage's office was quiet. Arriving at the door and being welcomed in with after knocking, Anko and Kouken saluted before taking a seat.

The moment he arrived he could see that the Hokage wouldn't stop staring at him and it was making him nervous. Like, _really_ nervous. He could already feel his foot bouncing up and down at breakneck speed, damn restless leg syndrome.

Hiruzen smiled in his head as he saw the boy was starting to sweat. Good to know he still had it. Smiling like any grandfather would to his grandson, the Hokage began their meeting. "Relax, my dear boy, you're not in any trouble." He could already see that his leg was slowing down.

"Sorry, Sandiame-Sama, You're literally a god." Kouken said sheepishly, and it was true! He was standing in front of the _God of Shinobi_! The man who had been through three wars and fought people like Onoki of Both Scales and the Sandiame Raikage. Shit, the man even fought the Kyuubi!

Said god merely chuckled and lit his pipe, "When you get to be my age, you're close enough to god that people mistake you for one." Danzou would've appreciated that elderly joke, these two young people, however, did not. "Anyways's congratulations on passing, here is your ninja registration forums, your headband, if you ever pull a suicide technique again I'll flay you alive, you shinobi bank account number, annnnd the address to turn in your Reserve-Badge. Did you get all that?" He asked warmly as he clasped his hands together and smiled.

Kouken, however, sweat-dropped. "Uhhh yeah I did, some questions though. Where can I get the headband modified like Tobirama-Sama? Also what about my living conditions? Hate to bring up the test again, but I did spend all of my money on those tags." He said ignoring the mutter of, "Retard," from his dear sensei.

"Ahhh fan of sensei's design eh? Well, since that's considered cosmetic, any shinobi store can get that done for you. As for your living arrangements, within your shinobi account is enough money for you to get a nice apartment and since you're part of the active duty forces you're privy to the discount as well. However," He said holding a hand up and pausing to capture all of the pink boy's attention, "I want to let you know that you're prevented from buying any explosive notes for a few months, thanks to that stunt you pulled. Should you attempt too I will be notified immediately." He stared gravelly at the boy watching him sweat and nod nervously.

"Great! Well that will be all, and those check-ups with the Yamanaka clan are mandatory, if you miss them I will send an ANBU to…collect you." Hiruzen watched as the boy swiftly grabbed everything on the table and bow quickly before bolting out at a speed that just would be considered not rude. He shared a smile with Anko before returning to his terrible curse of paperwork.

 **XXX**

Anko had left him to get his things in order and told him to meet her at training ground 44 bright and early; a shame for him that she never specified what bright and early meant. Kouken had decided that he would get his housing situation done first and bought a decent apartment in the RDL closer to the markets.

The narrator was scratching his head as to why the boy would choose to stay in the RDL when he realized that the boy had liked all the info and gear you could get if you knew where to look. He supposes that the boy just liked stealing jutsu scrolls and having unlimited access to hookers.

After moving all of his stuff, which wasn't all that much, to his new apartment Kouken looked in the mirror. Noticing he was still wearing the clothes loaned from the hospital and that all he had left was the ugly green leotard even though he could've _sworn_ he threw the damn thing out, Kouken decided to go shopping for some new clothes.

Choosing to shop in the nicer part of town with funds he ahhh _acquired_ on the way there, Kouken vine-whipped to a place called _Deathly Threads_. Shrugging at the morbid name he entered the store and was greeted by stacks and stacks of clothing. Behind it all was a pretty, young blonde manning the counter. In fact, she kinda looked like the guy who evaluated him. She had platinum blonde hair styled in a lazy bun held up by senbon needles and sky blue eyes. She took notice of his clothes first and made a slight frown.

"Hi, Welcome to Deathly Threads! If you're gonna die, might as well do it looking good!" She said with a bored voice.

"Wow, that's your sales pitch? Kind of morbid dontcha think?" He asked incredulously.

"Meh, doesn't make it any less true. Anyways what can I do for you?" She asked as she continued to flip through some magazine.

"I'm looking for a whole new wardrobe." He said plainly as the girl looked at him expectantly.

"Ooookay, well what do you want? Or do you expect me to read your mind?" She asked sarcastically.

"Well to be fair, you _could_ do that, aren't you a Yamanaka?" He said with a shrug and got a glare in return. Man, this guy was totally killing this conversation. "Alright, I was hoping for some skin tight top that goes high on my neck and is dark blue. Maybe some light brown fingerless gloves, uhhh some brown elbow pads I suppose too. Green pants and some kind of vest?" He finished questioningly. Kouken wasn't really sure, he didn't go shopping often.

The girl nodded and went to grab the items and he was left standing at the counter awkwardly. After some time waiting, the girl arrived with five sets of all that he asked and some blue shinobi sandals. She then separated three vests that were all different and laid them before him.

"Your first one is a standard imitation of the chunin vest and offers pockets for all your shinobi tools as well as increased protection, but is rather bulky and hard to move in. it's only color is grey unfortunately. This one is double layered, cloth on the outside with an interior mesh lining. Less protection, more maneuverability and easier to breathe in, but also less pockets. It comes in grey, white, blue, black, or green with a blue lining." She was about to move on to the third one when Kouken interrupted her telling that he would take the second one.

Shrugging the girl rung him up and his total took a nice chunk out of his savings from the Hokage. _'Good thing I decided to lift some pockets on the way here.'_ He thought happily as he switched into his new uniform and headed back to his apartment.

Now that the narrator thinks about it, he was pretty sure the kid promised to stop stealing if he made it out of the Hokage tower alive…guess that wasn't happening.

Once Kouken got to his apartment he set his bags down and flopped on his couch with a sigh.

"Hnnnnggggahhhh…." He groaned as he stretched out and kicked his feet up on the little table in front of him. Looking around he couldn't help but feel weird in this place. It was a helluva lot nicer than his old apartment and definitely wouldn't give him any respiratory issues later down the line, but there was something about his raggedy and run-down apartment that this place didn't have.

What this new place did have was a working heater and A.C. along with a television and somewhat new appliances. It had a stain free couch and a fairly decent bedroom. The walls were all painted a light blue and none of the walls had graffiti or mold. Sure his neighbors were still prostitutes and he still lived in the RDL, but to him, this place didn't feel like home yet.

"Don't tell me that I'm actually missing that shit-hole." He scoffed at the thought and crossed his arms, but the truth was just that.

' _We sure did have a lot of memories there…That place was great to us and we left it behind first chance we got…'_ A small smile appeared and his eyes focused on a place only he could visit. _'Is that what we do? Use something for all it's worth and then leave it for an upgrade? No. That was always the plan, do everything I can now to ensure I'll be able to get better later. Accepting the conditions I lived in would only make me lose drive, and then I'll be down the same road as those druggies…'_

Kouken couldn't believe that he felt like he was betraying a building and he never had any issues with leaving something for an upgrade before, but now the thought made him uneasy. First it was objects, but how much longer before it becomes people…What if it happens to him? What if Anko ditches him for a better student?

He shook his head and shot from his spot on the couch. _'Anko wouldn't be able to find a student better than me! I earned this more than anyone else and I'll prove to her and everyone else that I deserve to become a shinobi!'_ He walked away from the couch and moved to the bathroom, looking to splash some water on his face and take a piss.

Looking in the mirror, he stared at the clothes he bought with someone else's money. The notion left a sour taste in his mouth, and that only served to aggravate him further. He's been stealing and using those ill-gotten gains his entire life! Why, all of the sudden, does he feel ashamed about it?! Did becoming genin give him some measure of pride that doesn't allow him to steal as he used too? Does he feel that such a thing is beneath him now?

Sighing he opted to leave those thoughts for a day less busy and looked at his clothes once more. He loved the skin tight blue top because the dark color would be perfect for stealth and offered great mobility. The pants felt breathable and ended at his ankle, the green would be perfect for the environment he was in. The sandals actually fit for once and weren't old and ratty, his old ones were held together with duck-tape and smelled of a disgusting past. He got the gloves for the simple reason that a lot of his jutsu may contain toxins and deal with dangerous flowers, he did not want anything to get on his hands and the finger-free part ensured that his hand seal speed wouldn't be hampered. Elbow pads were practically cosmetic, but he was sure he would find a use for them. The reason he got the vest was because he wanted some level of protection and didn't want the skin tight top to get damaged.

Looking at the vest, Kouken realized he wasn't all that happy with the color theme but the green allowed for camouflage in the green environment of Konoha. Turning around he saw a solid blue flower in the center of the back. It had six petals and they looked rigid and sharp, almost like a shuriken. That was the best part about the vest, reminded him of his flower jutsu's and all the other ones he'd learn.

Probably help give him a cool ninja name like _The Death Rose_ or something even more badass.

The narrator, however, had his face buried in his hand and shaking. He couldn't believe that he got stuck with a retard like Pinkie, and things were just getting good too! As crazy and desperate of a move blowing yourself up was, it still made for great narration and kept him on the edge of his seat! Now, the tard is posing in front of a mirror oblivious to how stupid he looks and by proxy, how stupid he's making the narrator look. Hell, he was sure he was getting stupider just by following the kid.

The rest of the day went by quickly, even the paperwork which should've taken years of life-force out of him because that's the toll you pay when entering hell. Still, everything that he was given the day off for was completed and for once, Kouken didn't know what to do with himself. Training felt out of the question because he wasn't sure what his sensei might have in store for him tomorrow and he didn't feel like picking fights with thugs because he wasn't hurting for cash anymore. So Kouken decided that the rest of his day would be spent organizing and settling in to his new home.

 **XXX**

Kouken woke with a start and immediately winced in pain. His face felt like it got slammed into concrete and his eyes stung from the bright lights.

"Hmmfgg…? HMFGHH!" The drowsiness soon wore off and his eyes widened in panic, for he was not in his bed where he remembered being. He also didn't remember going to bed with a gag in his mouth and rope binding his hands.

Looking around, Kouken had zero fucking clue where he was. What he did know, however, was that he was in a forest, tied with rope and a gag, and was hanging upside down from a tree. Oh, also his face hurt really badly for some reason. He began struggling against the binds and nothing seemed to work. He tried swinging back and forth in hopes that the branch holding him would break, but that did not work. He was left hanging there for almost an hour before some rustling of a bush alerted him.

Turning towards the sound his muffled screams seemed to draw the sound closer and Kouken felt overjoyed that somebody would finally let him down. That joy was dashed when not somebody, but some _thing_ came ambling out of the bushes. A tiger almost three times the normal size came slinking out of the bushes, growling and barring its teeth as saliva drooled in pools from its mouth. Eyes piercing the hanging sack of meat it circled it slowly, inspecting it as if it were some kind of trap.

Kouken tried to remain deathly still, hoping that it would go away and forget about him, but when he saw it circling him and standing on its hind legs near the base of the tree Kouken felt it was most definitely the time to struggle.

"HMMFGPPH! HMFPGHHHHH!" His muffled shouts were hopeless as he started fighting against the ropes holding him with fear and desperation fueling him. He didn't want to die here as a snack to some stupid tiger!

Said stupid tiger watched the meat sack struggle, following it swing back and forth with its head and attempted to swat it out the air. Every time his giant paws and razor-sharp claws whooshed through the air, it missed its meal by inches. Finally growing tired of this the tiger clawed its way up the tree and tried slashing at it every time it came back towards the trunk.

Kouken would be shitting his pants but all he had on was his boxers and an old white t-shirt. One swipe came so close that it cut through a good portion of the rope and giving him access to one of his arms. Thinking quickly he sent out a vine to another tree and began pulling himself towards it. The branch he was on started to bend and continued to do so until he was practically touching the other tree and safely away from the retarded tiger.

Said _retarded_ tiger, glared at the meat sack for making things so difficult and dropped from the tree he was in and began to make his way towards the other one. Finally reaching the base and looking up, it's eyes met the meat sack and growled. The meat sack just stuck one of its claws and spat in the tiger's eye.

Pinkie really hated this day. With a sigh he instantly severed the vine holding him and was instantly launched through the trees and away from the tiger. Apparently the force was enough to tear the rope where it was wrapped around his branch but, he was still bound by together by his wrists and ankles along with the gag.

Shooting through the forest and not being able to direct where you go was not fun. Neither was hitting every damn branch without being able to shield yourself. The worst of it however, was coming to a sudden stop by some sticky string that covered the trees.

It was then, that he realized he was the proud owner of arachnophobia.

 **~~~~~With the Hokage~~~~~**

Hiruzen stared into his crystal ball watching the boy go from tiger food to spider food all within the span of ten minutes. His sensei, who should be watching over him in case something goes wrong, was looking over his shoulder to see how her brat was doing. He was assured that there was a clone watching over him, but he wasn't so sure.

Putting away the ball, he cleared his throat and stared at Anko until she got back in her seat across from him. "Now Anko, having a student is a big responsibility as you are the one who determines just what kind of shinobi he'll be. It's a big burden to carry, but do you have any idea on how to figure that out?" He asked as he lit his favorite pipe.

"This survival test will tell me just what he specializes in; how he reacts to his environment, how he handles threats, food, and such all tell me what he'll be good and bad in." She said nonchalantly. Anko may look like she doesn't put a lot of thought into things and is all stabby-stabby, but she was chosen by Orochimaru for a reason. She was a genius and the top of her class; the reason it looks like she doesn't think much is because she doesn't have too.

"How long do you plan to keep him there?" He asked taking a puff of his pipe.

"Ehhh depends on how long it'll take me to see all that I need. Could be one day to three depending on how many fields he could go into." Anko was adopting the deep-end method of training. If you drop somebody in the deep-end and their personality type is to always come out on top then the only way for them to succeed is by learning to deal. The benefits of such a method were indeed obvious, but it wouldn't work for everyone. The only reason why Anko is doing it is because his actions leading up to his test, his lifestyle, and his results from the psyche evaluation all show that he is just the type of person able to withstand it all.

Or he might just break and she would have to re-build him in her own image. Meh, whichever worked just fine with her.

"Anko." The hokage said gaining her attention and leveling her with a serious look. "The boy has had a shaky start and there are those who don't believe he is psychologically fit for a shinobi lifestyle, myself included." He noticed how Anko gripped her chair tighter at that; after all, she was almost retired for the same reasoning. "But we hope that you prove us wrong. Kouken shows great promise as a shinobi and it is imperative that you provide a strong foundation that can withstand the potential attacks this life style will bring."

"I understand perfectly Hokage-sama, I won't let you down." She said with a salute and turned to walk out the door, but was given one last word from her leader.

"It won't be me who will be let down Anko. It's not my dream that's at stake." With that he spun his chair around and went back to scrying the boy's test.

 **~~~~~With Pinkie~~~~~**

Kouken gasped as he pulled his head from the river and flopped on the muddy bank. Today, he was nearly eaten by a tiger, then by a spider, then a giant snake, and finally a massive centipede. If he didn't hate any of those species before, well then he sure as shit did now. He managed to free himself by spitting that academy campfire jutsu in the spider's face when it was inches away and then at the web holding him hostage. Funny thing about spider webs, regardless if the spider that spun it is the size of a large boulder, is that fire travels _fast._

Before he knew it, him and about a dozen spiders that were occupying themselves on that web were free falling to the ground. Luckily for him, he managed to vine-whip away; some of the spiders weren't so lucky. He could hear the angered screeching and mandible clicking even as he practically flew away.

' _Ugh…Mandible clicking…reminds me of the centipede!'_ He shuddered and it wasn't from the lack of clothes. He didn't rest in another tree after that until he reached the river he was at.

Taking stock of his situation, he had no shinobi tools, no shinobi clothing, no supplies or rations, not even a fucking _inkling_ of an idea of his location besides somewhere in Konoha, and completely unsure of how he got here. Hell, he didn't even know why his face had been sucker-punched and by whom!

Leaning down to get another drink of water, Kouken thought of a plan. _'First things first is that I need to get some food. Possibly something that isn't three times the size of me and able to devour me. Then I need to find shelter and after that, I'm going to follow this river until civilization.'_

Gotta hand it to the kid, for being shit up a creek and without a paddle he sure adapts fast. Now the narrator has got some interesting material to work with! Hopefully the kid doesn't become something else's lunch like he almost did several times today.

Standing up from the river, Kouken looked around for a branch to fashion into a makeshift fishing rod. After finding a suitable branch he used a vine as some string and began fishing. And he was there for hours. Unfortunately, the boy didn't have any kind of bait and if he found some, he had no hook to put it on. Without a hook it was damn near impossible to catch any fish, but through some determination, grit, and enough new swear word combinations to fill a book our brave hero held two fishes in his hands.

Actually it was hand, singular. Due to the size of his fish, Kouken could hold both fishes in one hand and was probably the reason as to why his eye was twitching erratically.

"Of all the….For a forest filled of monstrous animals, I manage to catch the two smallest fish here. Okay, ya know what? Food is food and I'm too hungry to bitch." He said to himself as he speared both of the fishes and brought them to a cave on the opposite bank. It was dark and huge, easily accommodating his small frame.

Coming back from collecting branches and the like he was able to get a small fire going and roast his two…meager prizes. By then night had already fallen and he could hear the predators that only come during the night out and about.

Eating quickly, Kouken finished his fishes and was working on dousing the fire when a sound made him freeze. Sure, he had been listening to it all night, but this sounded as if it was right outside his cave. Shaking his head and cursing the knot in his stomach telling him to stay inside he picked up a flaming branch and walked towards the mouth of the cave.

Poking his head outside, he looked to his left and saw nothing, then he looked down the river and saw nothing, then he felt a warm breath tussle his hair from his right, and then everything went to shit.

Jumping away in alarm, Kouken managed to hit his head on the roof of the cave before dropping the torch and rolling away. By the fire of the torch, Kouken could see the form of a massive bear, one that wasn't even fully illuminated by the fire's glow. Blinking away the dazed feeling from his head, Kouken realized that this cave must've been its home and he was trespassing.

A roar had interrupted his musings and he watched in horror as the bear stood on its hind legs and come to around 25 feet tall. It dropping back to its paws alone caused him to feel tremors in the ground and Kouken knew it was time to run. Before he could even move his arm, however, the bear charged him and he was forced to channel chakra to his legs instead and jump over the massive beast. Landing with a roll away from it he was forced to duck once more as a claw swipe nearly separated his head from his shoulders.

' _FUCK YOU'RE QUICK!'_ He rolled away once more and tried to vine whip away when he was hit with a wave of dizziness that made him stumble. Catching his head in his hand he felt warm blood coating his hair and sure enough, his palm was covered with it. Another swipe from the bear had left him sprawling as this one nearly tore his leg off, Kouken would need more time if he wanted to get away. Running through hand seals Kouken fired a wave of flaming flowers that peppered the side of the bear and left thin scratches along its side. The fur and fat must've been too thick for any damage to be done. Backing up with the bear advancing Kouken felt chained to limited options due to his limit in jutsu's. Just when his back hit the cave wall he sent out three bushins to run in all different directions to occupy the bear, unfortunately for Kouken, the bushins met an abrupt end by another paw swipe and Kouken was brought to his knees with nausea. The head wound was really starting to wear on the boy and things were not looking good.

The bear raised his giant arm and lashed out with one final swipe that shattered some of the stone of the cave; but the main thing that got shattered was the bear's claws. Kouken dived under its belly at the last second and rolled away behind it, just as it roared in agony and turned slightly to face him. Going through another set of hand seals Kouken Shouted, " _Hana Ninpo: Natsui Hana_!" and sent a barrage of flaming, spinning flower petals at the massive bear's face.

Kouken didn't waste any time and vine-whipped as the bear thrashed around in agony. Apparently, his move had been effective and taken out one of the bastard's eyes as well as cutting deep enough that it would definitely leave scars.

Kouken didn't get very far with the gash on his head now making him light-headed, but he made sure to get far enough that he couldn't hear the bear's roars. Jumping down from the trees, Kouken channeled some chakra to his eyes and strained to see in the dark. What he was looking for was certain type of flower, white petals with a golden yellow center. If he could find one and ground it up into a paste, he could apply it to his head wound to help with healing, as well as, ensure it didn't get infected. It took some time, but sure enough he found one and went to work grinding it on some bark and with his fist.

He truly thought flowers were awesome, the shit that one could do with one! Create a poison, not a problem! Create a cure, sure thing! Sharpen them with chakra and send them spinning at an enemy like shuriken whilst on fire, easy-peasy! By the time he finished his knuckles were red and raw. Scooping it into his hand he began dabbing it gently on to the gash and wincing as the disinfection properties worked their magic. Then he tore a long strip off of his shirt and tied it around his head to work as a bandage.

Satisfied, Kouken then took to the trees once more and stayed amongst the highest of branches and attempt to get some rest. Sleep did not bless him that night.

 **XXX**

Kouken was found hopping along the trees the moment there was light in the sky and he was pushing himself at a rather hard pace. He had already spent one night in this hellhole and nearly died for it, and he desperately wanted to find his way back to safety soon. He looked like hell too, with a torn shirt wrapped around his head, mud, dirt, and some blood coating his body and only being covered with some boxers. So focused on just moving forward our pink haired hero was he was caught completely caught off guard when something slammed into his back and sent him hurtling towards the ground.

"fuuuuuuUUUUUCKKKKKK!" He screamed as the ground came closer and closer, but he saved himself from a sickening splat with a quick vine. Still, his landing was rather rough and he did land a bit awkwardly on his ankle, but the boy seemed no worse for wear.

Searching the canopy for whatever knocked him off he only caught the movement after it had left to a new spot. Soon enough a familiar clacking filled the air and by the time Kouken realized what attacked him it was already too late to run.

A giant spider spun down from the canopy after closing off the entire area in a web with the help of its brothers and sisters. Landing in front of the meat sack, the spider seemed to glare at our hero, and although spiders are ugly to begin with this one seemed to be even worse. Upon closer inspection and by close the narrator means thirty yards away and with a binocular, he discovered that its face was coated in burns, as if someone spat a flame jutsu at point blank range! Kouken seemed to realize this as well.

"D'ahh fuck, you're smart enough to hold a grudge?!" He moaned in dismay, if this spider was smart enough then what about the tiger, centipede, snake, and bear?! Kouken flew through hand seals just as the thing came skittering towards him and he managed to land a kick that sent the spider sailing backwards.

" _Ninpo: Goriki_ , bitch." He said with a snarl as he rushed the spider who was already back on its feet, and performed a sliding kick. In hindsight this wasn't a good idea because he just narrowly managed to avoid a stinger when the spider collapsed onto him. Seizing his chance he gripped the stinger and pulled with all his enhanced might. Its screeching was soon followed with a disgusting squelch that coated our hero in a pale blue ichor as he held the spider's stinger in his hand. Not to waste a chance he jumped over the back and drove the thing down through the top of the skull.

It twitched once. Twice. Then buckled, finally dead.

Kouken panted with exertion as the whole ordeal scared the living shit out of him and happened so fast that he was still processing it all. Processing time seemed to be over as a series of screeches and equally pissed off mandible clicking surrounded him. Taking that as the cue to split, Kouken lashed a vine to the tallest branch he could reach and swung out of there.

Again he was almost trapped by the web and a spider waiting for him, but his flaming flower jutsu burnt away the web and severed majority of the spider's legs. Looking back he could see it hit every branch on the way down before being set upon by smaller predators.

' _THIS PLACE IS FUCKING CRAZY!'_ He cried to himself in a mixture of anger and fear.

How did he go from first day of training to fighting steroid-pumped forest critters for survival?! Kouken continued to run until an issue of hydration forced him to stop. Reaching the floor below, he realized he was still gripping the spider's stinger tightly and had to use his other hand to pry his fingers off. Getting a drink and repeating the process he did yesterday, Kouken ate his fill of tiny fish and tried to get some rest. Now, however, he felt marginally better about having a weapon as he had tied the spider's stinger to a stick and created a makeshift spear. Now imbued with a small sense of security, Kouken managed to grab some much needed rest.

 **~~~~With the Anko's~~~~~**

Anko walked into a massive room that had two giant stone hands set into a hand seal where she was greeted by…herself? The room currently had five Anko's in it, not including the one who had just walked in and all were conversing with each other. The narrator prepped a bottle of aspirin and some whiskey in case this turned south.

"Alright guys, whaddaya got for me? How's the brat been doing?" She asked as she took a bite of her dango that she picked up on the way here.

"Surprisingly well, the kid's made of sturdier stuff." One said as she eyed the dango greedily.

"Yeah, although it did take him a while to get out of the starting stage he's been on the move since." A second said while playing with a kunai.

"His combat reflexes and survival instinct isn't buried very deep and easily comes to the surface with little need of coaxing, unfortunately, he's got the worst luck I've ever seen." Anko number three said while the two before here either nodded or snorted.

"What's that mean? Who gives a shit about luck, we aren't gamblers." The real Anko said with a confused look. They were shinobi, not a Tsunade in training.

"Well…since he's got here, he has run into a giant tiger, spider, snake, centipede, and bear. Somehow, the little shit managed to bump into chakra mutated versions of them and, after a small fight, he bails. Every fight, he's left the animals with a parting gift and they're tearing up the forest looking for the brat." The fourth explained while she pointed back to the third to continue.

"This is how we've been able to see how well he fights and survives in there. He has a firm grasp on his situation, the resources available to him, and also knowledge of the local flora. He got a pretty bad head wound from the bear encounter and was able to create basic treatment with the paste from grinding Fireshade Glowbells; guess he knows more about flowers than just jutsu. I'm willing to bet he would take well to poison training." The third then shrugged and went back to conversing with her two compatriots.

"Ooookaaay, well what else happened that I should know about?" The real Anko asked as she felt a migraine coming on and it wasn't from her late night drinking.

"The spiders caught up with him again and he managed to kill their hunting party leader; got his stinger on a spear as a weapon now. I'm pretty sure the spiders now are combing the forest and the queen's been on the move, seems she's royally pissed off. The kid's been slowly making his way towards the tower, but at his speed and by his luck, I'd say he's due for some more encounters with his forest buddies." The fifth and final one said with her hands stuffed in her pockets and chewed on a senbon needle.

This impressed Anko greatly, she was sure the kid would collapse after one and a half days here and yet here he was, going strong with a kill under his belt. Since all the clones were still here that meant the kid still had more to show and more to suffer until they would see the most basic and primal version of the boy. She told the Hokage three days at most, but it seemed this kid would be here for longer…

 **~~~~Back with Shithead, 5 Days within the Forest~~~**

The Narrator seemed to be short on patience, perhaps he wants a change in scenery almost as bad as Kouken does. Speaking of, let's see how he's doing.

"I HOPE YOUR SPECIES GOES FUCKING EXTINCT!" Kouken yelled over his shoulder and got an angry skittering in response before the branch he was on exploded in a shower of splinters.

Well…there's a saying that no change can be seen as good change. It could always get worse for him.

Kouken vine-whipped away and continued running for his life from a seriously pissed off centipede. Kouken was now three **hundred** percent sure that these forest creatures were not normal, barring the sheer size of them. He was positive that they knew how to hold grudges and were tracking him down. The centipede he ran into early that tried to digest him got a big scar running down his armored back from and overpowered _Hana Ninpo: Natsui Hana_ and this one was sporting the same wound. Not to mention the coloration was the same, greyish body with a red and black chitin coloration.

"SCREEEEE!" He heard before he had to swing from the branch he was on from his legs as the annoying shit tried to bite his head off. Falling to the ground Kouken righted himself in mid-air and launched two vines out to form his bungee technique to launch him back into the trees, keeping him off the ground. Kouken learned early on that the only times he should go to the ground is when he's by the river or when he's in a cave. Any other time just opens him up to attack from all sorts of predators; at least when he's in the tree's there is only an 'x' amount of species that can reach him.

Launching himself back into the air, he was going too fast to block the body slam the centipede threw at his back. Impacting hard into a tree and landing ungracefully on a branch, Kouken grabbed his side and coughed some up some blood.

' _Shit! I can't treat interal wounds! I gotta get outta here or I'm going to die!'_ he thought with wide and fearful eyes that searched the trees for the crawly. Setting his spear down, Kouken went through the hand seals for _Ninpo: Goriki_ and readied himself in a taijutsu stance. The shell was too strong for his scorching flower jutsu to do any damage and the only reason the other one did was because he pumped a ridiculous amount of chakra into it. He needed to shatter the shell and stab Crawly with his spider spear.

He didn't have to wait long as he jumped high of his branch and tried to perform a falling heel kick on the shell covering its head when it rushed his position. At the last second he had to divert his momentum and just narrowly dodged the pincers that were going to impale him. Still, he didn't get away free as he skidded onto a different branch clutching his left bicep. Pulling his hand away with a sharp wince he could see a long cut running from his elbow to his shoulder and bleeding a good amount. He would have to find more Fireshade Glowbells or this would definitely get infected.

Glaring up at Crawly which seemed to sway mockingly Kouken flashed through hand seals and sent his _Hana Ninpo: Natsui Hana_ at the branch holding the beast up in hopes the branch would break and/or the fire would damage his soft underbelly. Both happened as the fire spread quickly and Crawly thrashed in outrage causing the branch to snap sending it spiraling towards the ground. Grinning victoriously and seeing his chance the pinkette jumped down after it spinning with his foot pointed straight at it. From his height the kick would be exponentially stronger and Crawly would have no chance to block or recover.

Sure enough Crawly hit the ground hard and bounced slightly only for Kouken to drive his foot through the shell and straight into its head with a sickening squelch. Kouken stood with his right leg buried up to his mid-thigh in the disgusting brain of the beast and was having trouble dislodging himself.

"Fucking disgusting, ugh, I can feel it twitching…." He moaned as he finally pulled his leg free. Staring at the corpse he looked at his hands and then its thick chitin armor and sighed. "This'll be disgusting, I just know it." Shaking his head the boy crouched and began pulling at the plates, ripping them off and putting them to the side. After grabbing around four of them he picked them up and made for the river that he made sure to never stray too far from. Bending over at the bank he washed each of them out and once they were clean of all the…bodily fluids, he began making vines and tearing them. Using the vines as rope he attached three of the plates together and draped it over his back to protect him. The fourth one went on his right forearm and was big enough to be a tiny shield. From there he washed out his newly acquired wound and searched for his miracle flower. Almost ten minutes later our hero had covered the wound and tore another strip of his raggedy white shirt off for bandaging.

Flopping on to the ground and realizing just how tired he was Kouken began splashing himself with water. _'I really need to get out of here. Forget civilization, I just need to find a way out of this fucked up forest.'_ He thought to himself as he stared at his reflection in the water. He didn't want to even think it but the recent encounters have always been close calls, and each time he truly felt the fear of death.

It was strange coming from someone who was ready to commit suicide, but it was different when the death wasn't on your own terms and you wanted to live. Kouken finally had a shot at living, at making something of himself, and he was terrified to die because of it. The fear had been constant, even now he feels it just by _being_ in the forest, but during those fights, right when things became too much, he felt his body just snap. One minute he was facing off against them barely living and the next he was rolling under them and ripping their stinger out.

' _What's happening to me?'_ he stared at his hand, clenching and unclenching it before he stood up. He would have his crisis later, right now he had to keep moving. Somehow those animals were tracking him and even though he got rid of the Creepy & Crawly, he still had to deal with the tiger, snake, and bear.

After jumping into the treeline and going much further than he expected he realized that, once again, he had forgotten about deactivating his _Ninpo: Goriki._ Kouken berated himself for developing such a dangerous habit. If he wasn't careful it would kill him; after all, there were stories where techniques that stayed active ended up killing shinobi in their sleep because they forgot to deactivate it. Not to mention he really needed to conserve his chakra considering his situation. Strangely enough, he didn't feel so tired after deactivating it. Kouken chalked it up to his mind playing tricks on him and he didn't have it active as long as he thought he did.

Climbing to the top of the tallest tree nearby Kouken tried to search for any landmarks that might help him. To his south he could make out the Hoakge Monument, so that meant he was definitely still in Konoha and closer towards him going northeast was a tower that seemed completely out of place in this hellhole. That was where he would go, the tower, and find people to help him back towards his village.

Now that he could _see_ his home he began to panic, thinking that Anko had given up on him for missing their first day of training and he would lose everything. The fear and desperation that once tormented him came back full force and before he knew it he was already speeding towards the tower heedless of pace or energy conservation.

' _I can't go back, I can't go back, I can't go back, I can't go back, I can't go back…'_ The narrator frowned at this, he knew it would go on for hours and it didn't feel right. When he looked at Kouken he saw a boy trying desperately, and admirably, to make something of himself. He saw someone with a lot of potential and somebody who bitches like it's a hobby. He didn't like seeing this though.

Kouken didn't rest at all that day and he ran through the night as well against better judgement. He only slept for four hours and after a quick fish and drink he was off again. This would be his fifth day in the forest and he was determined to make it his last. He looked like absolute hell.

His eyes were dimmed with dark shadows under them. His hair caked with dirt, mud, and blood. His body was covered in pale blue ichor, mud, blood, black juices, and a rag-tag shirt that covered the upper right side of his chest and shoulder. His armor was scratched and in total he had the look of a man who was all instinct.

The night had hammered him with numerous predators trying to grab a bite and he had fought them all off as he continued forwards, luckily he didn't run into the more serious contenders. It began raining sometime after sunrise and by now it was absolutely pouring, drenching him and giving him a quick shower for the first time in five days.

Just then he felt a tingle and his hairs stand on end when he spring boarded off his branch and launched his scorching flower jutsu where he was standing. Hearing a furious hiss Kouken knew that he was dealing with the giant snake from earlier and now that he could see it in daylight its size was staggering. It was almost 45 feet long and as wide as the spiders. And right now, it was staring directly at him with golden eyes interrupted with black slits almost as tall as himself.

Blood was leaking out of thin cuts on its face and snout curtesy of Kouken's almost reflexive attack and all he could do was stare. He was struck still by the snake's piercing gaze, paralyzed with fear, forced to only be able to follow the swaying of its head with his eyes as it drew closer.

Sweat poured down his face and all Kouken wanted to do was run as far away from here as he could. He could see his own death play before like a vision. The snake would shoot forward with fangs bared and swallow both him and the branch he stood upon.

This would be his end. This snake would be the reason for him to fade away. The snake was now inches from his face and its forked tongue flicked out as if it was tasting its meal. It began rearing its head back and Kouken could already feel his existence begin to unravel.

And that's when it happened. Kouken snapped.

Instantly channeling his _ninpo: Goriki_ and launched a kick at the snakes chin sending the head reeling backwards. His dim eyes didn't even flicker as he launched his vines to wrap around the beast's head and with a mighty tug he slammed the snake into the thick branch he was standing upon.

It thrashed and writhed in anger but all Kouken did was chain the snake to the tree with more vines until it could barely move. Staring down at it, unblinking and unfazed, straight into its once paralyzing eyes, Kouken rammed his spider spear straight through its eye.

Its cries rang through the forest accompanied by squelch after squelch until all went silent.

Kouken continued onwards at a pace that his body could never reach before and his eyes showed no strain or fatigue. In fact, there was nothing to be found in the boy's eyes. No spark of emotion or proof of humanity. This was Kouken taken over by his combative reflexes, driven by a singular goal to never fade away.

It was hours later that Kouken had finally arrived at the tower that always seemed miles away. Now that he stood there in front of its doors, he stood there confused, unsure if he should knock or just go in. He almost didn't believe that it was finally over, that he was safe and had survived this hellhole. He reached for the door and pulled, awaiting the safety with life back in his eyes. Tears of joy almost fell, derived of sheer exhaustion of both mental and physical nature.

But the doors did not open. Not after his first pull and not after he pounded and shouted in helplessness. His safety was denied and he couldn't get in, he would die out here because of a locked door!

' _Why, why, why, why, why, whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhyWHYWHYWHY?!'_ He cried with tears falling from almost crazed eyes. And then sound came back to his world.

First it was a low, deep growl.

Next was an angry chittering, with clicking mandibles.

And finally came an angry roar.

Slowly, Kouken turned around to see the giant tiger from his first day slink forward with hunched shoulders and dipped head. Its eyes glaring at the evasive meat sack in front of it and it let loose a terrible roar. Next to it on its left came a spider so massive that it was nearly three times the size of the one he had killed, spiraling down from a web as its cold, numerous, black eyes boring into him as its angry clacking sent green saliva everywhere with a sizzle. And on its right came the massive one eyed bear, complete with a face that was coated in a disgusting mixture of burns and infected cuts.

Kouken's mind couldn't take this torture anymore, these creatures hounded him through the forest and although he had killed three of them, here the other three stand, side by side. They didn't even fight each other, in fact, their common hatred seemed to coax them into working together.

His pupil expanded until none of his blue iris's remained, and then completely contracted into nothingness. Pupil now completely gone, the blue of his eyes surged forward, devouring even the white that once surrounded it until his entire eye was his deep, dark blue.

Chakra and instinct exploded from his body in a violent and chaotic mess as he screamed. He screamed in anger, fear, despair, and rage unconsciously lacing it with chakra and making it resound for miles. The storm seemed to pick up in ferocity as the rain fell even harder and the wind buffeted his body. Pink hair whipping wildly in the wind he blasted toward the tiger at speeds he didn't realize he had and kicked the tiger in the jaw, cracking teeth and sending it skidding back across the clearing.

Turning on heel, he used vines to pull himself up to a tree branch narrowly missing a glob of acid spat by the spider queen and instead hitting the bear's side. Before the bear could attack its ally for the sizzling wound in its side Kouken launched himself toward the spider, propelled by gravity and sped by his vine-bungee, and pierced its giant sac with his spider spear. Back-flipping away from the spider who was thrashing in agony Kouken went through hand seals and launched a super-charged _Hana Ninpo:_ _Natsui Hana_ at the open wound, causing it to widen and pour blood at a lethal rate.

The bear seemed to not forgive the spider as its acid was still eating into its side that now exposed muscle and bone and charged it. Swiping with its claws it had severed four of the giant arachnid's legs and caused it to fall where it finished the fight by clamping its jaws into the soft underbelly.

However, Kouken was not idle in this as the tiger was beginning to get its bearings once more. Rushing the dazed beast, Kouken began wrapping its limbs in vines and neighboring trees at odd angles. Before the tiger could begin struggling in earnest, Kouken tugged hard on to vines and sent the tiger's head slamming into a thick and sturdy tree.

" **JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY!"** He roared, giving voice to all his anger and frustrations once more before the sound of flesh meeting something harder filled the clearing.

First hit shook the branches.

Second hit made the tree groan

Third hit had toppled the tree and the tiger's struggling had ceased completely.

Finally Kouken was left with the bear, who was limping towards him and trying to cover its decayed side. It let out an anger roar that was cut short abruptly as Kouken had already sped towards it and shoved his spider spear through its weakened ribs to pierce the heart. Like a puppet cut from the strings, the bear crumpled to the ground.

He walked away from the scene, panting and eyes covered with drenched hair. His intent on getting inside the tower was the only thing pushing him forward when his vision began to darken. Dropping to one knee in pools of mud and blood, the last sight he saw before exhaustion claimed him was the tower doors opening and his sensei walking out.

 **And that's a wrap! Whew, this one was my longest yet, and was a total pain to edit. I just want to make clear that this isn't so much of a power-up as it is a…evolution. Consider what happened to him similar to what happened to Mikasa in Attack on Titan when she was a child. A traumatic experience had removed all of her body's inherit limiters and is now stronger. Anyway, a chapter this long was kinda hard for me because I kept losing my place at times and began to forget when I should break something up into different paragraphs so please let me know if anything needs fixing in the reviews. As always, any questions, comments, and/or concerns will be answered if you P.M. me or put up a review.**

 **This is Laxtastic signing off!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Sun After the Storm

**Hey guys! As always my notes and thanks are at the end of this chapter and without further ado, enjoy chapter five!**

 **Chapter Five: The Sun After the Storm**

 **Two Days Passed**

We find ourselves looking at the still form of our pink-haired hero, now cleaned of all the disgusting fluids that once coated his body and in much fresher clothes, asleep on a bed. This has been his place for the past two days, after nearly four days in the forest with barely any sleep, our hero seemed to catching up on all that he missed. But it was not meant to last as we find his sensei towering over him hold a bucket of icy water.

"Rise and shine, brat!" She yelled merrily and tossed the bucket and all of its contents onto her sleeping student.

"GAHH THAT'S COLD!" He screamed before jumping out of the bed and sliding into a defensive stance. He blinked around bleary until he regain his bearings and realized he wasn't in the forest anymore. Relaxing and standing straighter, the boy looked towards his sensei who he could vaguely remember before he passed out.

"Before you start asking questions allow me to answer the obvious ones." She said as she held a hand up when her student tried to open his mouth. "You are still in the forest, just inside of the tower. Yes, that means you're safe. I was the one who put you there and it was a training exercise. Its purpose was for me to find out where your strengths and weaknesses lay and how to proceed in training you. The secondary purpose was more of a hope, to push you so past your mental and physical limits of your body that they get removed altogether. That would've happened later on anyways, but with the progress you made before this exercise, I figured to get it out of the way now." She then made a motion as if allowing the boy to speak.

Said boy blinked slowly, as if processing her words and the situation before he clenched his hands. "So…You're the reason I nearly died in there? That everything was just some…training exercise?!" He asked venomously as he flooded the room with his rather weak KI.

Anko just rolled her eyes before vanishing into thin air. Not even a second later he felt unbearable pain in his stomach and coughed out blood and bile. From there he was scooped off the floor, had his arm locked behind his back and smashed into the hard wall adjacent to him.

"Let's get one thing straight, Genin Izoumaru, I am your **sensei** and when I do something it's because it's my job to make you stronger." She said coldly into his ear.

"Argh..I NEARLY DIED YOU BITCH!" He yelled back at her before he was picked up and slammed into the ground before getting a kick to the gut that sent him rolling across the floor. This time he was picked up by the scruff of his collar and was brought to eye level with his insane teacher.

"I had clones watching you the entire time! We nearly stepped in the second time you encountered the snake, but you proved to be stronger then it so we wanted to find your limits!" She yelled at him and broke into a staring contest before Kouken scoffed and looked away. "Meet me downstairs in five minutes, there you'll be able to ask all the questions you want and we can continue your training." With that she dropped the boy unceremoniously and walked out the room.

Kouken laid there, staring at the floor with lost eyes.

' _It was all…fake? I was never in any real danger?...'_ Somehow the thought didn't comfort him, rather it shamed him for acting the way he did. If he knew that this was training then he wouldn't have been such a mess, he wouldn't have appeared so weak in front of his sensei, and he most definitely wouldn't have yelled at her.

Picking himself off the ground and walking into the bathroom to splash himself with water, he noticed the change in his eyes. At first he was freaked out, but then remembered it looked a lot like his sensei's eyes and decided he would ask her when he got down there. Figuring to waste no more time he walked down and met her in what looked to be a mess hall of sorts with breakfast on the table. Not questioning where the food came from he began to eat when his sensei sat down in front of him.

"You see some food out randomly and you begin eating, not even wary of its poisoned?" She asked rhetorically and disappointedly. Kouken swallowed his food slowly as he stared at her questioningly, "It's not, so don't worry, but next time it might be. I will never stop testing you, even when I'm not around." She said as she dug in with him.

At first that was the only sound in the hall, the two of them eating, but it was interrupted by Pinkie who looked as if he was trying to say three different things at once. "I'm sorry." He said simply.

Anko shrugged her shoulders, "Meh, I reacted the same way with my sensei."

Kouken looked somewhat alarmed about her training him the same way Orochimaru, greatest traitor of the leaf, had with her. He decided that she was loyal and the snake was not and her teachings would make him strong and loyal. "My eyes…" He trailed off questioningly.

"The result of breaking your body's natural limitations, I'm sure you felt it at times where you would almost react automatically, doing things you thought impossible, and then that whole display at the very end?" She asked and got a nod in return. They went back to eating for a while before he asked his third question.

"You already seen me fight at the test, why need all this to see what kind of fighter I am? Why not just ask me what my specialties are?" The question would be his last about the test before he would ask about training.

"Do you think I would take a test where you were mentally unhinged enough to attempt a suicide bombing move as good data? Furthermore if I asked you what do you specialize in and you said ninjutsu because you thought it was cool, but in actuality you're a stealth and taijutsu fighter how do you think that would go?" She asked as if the answer was obvious. "Sides, doing it this way forces everything out of you and did the whole limitation thing to boot. I get to see how you react to nearly all threats, including yourself." She said as she pointed her fork towards him.

That meant some kids who undergone this test either performed recklessly enough that they endangered themselves or simply were doing more damage by themselves than the forest was.

Kouken pushed away his food and stared at his sensei, "When do we start training?" He really wanted to get strong and quickly.

Anko smiled at her student and his enthusiasm, reminding her of a younger her. "We start now, and we'll be staying here for a week or two. We go here when we need to do massive amounts of training uninterrupted. If you thought that place was hell, then I'm going to enjoy breaking that illusion, kiddo." She said cruelly and Kouken felt a shiver of fear travel down his spine.

 **XXX**

It's been almost two weeks since Kouken had been home and arriving to his apartment felt like heaven. He missed the terrible smells and shouts that filled the air of the RDL. Hell, he even missed his prostitute neighbors trying to get him in for a lay. But his discomfort was well rewarded as Anko had kept her promise of training. For two weeks they trained in that tower and he could honestly say that those two weeks had benefitted him more than him being on his own for the past two years. They focused on giving him a more defined style of taijutsu, expanding his jutsu library by creating variations to them, and was even given books in fields like poison and fuinjutsu.

They had a talk about how he felt his strengths and edges were and that he loved obscure jutsu types and fields that are off the beaten path. He thought that if he kept them diversified and away from the usual styles then it would give him an edge on his opponents. Anko agreed with him and said that a surprising ninja was often the victorious ninja. And so they trained, and he devoured everything she threw at him, soaking it all in like a sentient sponge that was dying of dehydration in the desert. He had managed to create a thorny version of his vine jutsu so that he could use it more offensively and was planning to add a poison to it later on. He also managed to create a combo technique _Hana Ninpo: Natsui Hana Ame_ where he combined bushins with his scorching petal technique. This was effective in the sense that it made it look like dozens of volleys were being launched when in reality most are fake, with the few real ones spread around.

His taijutsu style still implemented the vines as a method for openings, but due to their training he was able to keep his _Ninpo: Goriki_ going for almost twenty minutes. The constant usage of it in the forest and tower had gave him larger chakra pools, but that meant he had to work on control more. Anko was a perfectionist so he spent many nights climbing surfaces with his feet. They found that her Hebi style wasn't the perfect fit, but was doable until a better option made itself available so that was the style he's been practicing in.

All in all he felt exhausted, but it was a good kind of exhausted. His current plan was to take a short nap in his own bed for once, and then get to work on reading all those books he was given.

Kouken smiled at this feeling of everything going right for once; it had been a long time since he felt it and god was it refreshing.

 **XXX**

Elsewhere, in a dingy and dimly lit bar, was someone less enthused about the last two weeks. Anko had sat in her booth in the corner where the table barely kept the drinks level and the lights above her were off more often than they were on. This was where she went when she wanted to drink alone, nursing herself and tending to whatever issue brought her here.

She stared blankly at the swirling black liquid in her cup as thoughts floated through her mind. She wasn't sure how to feel about this whole sensei crap, it certainly wasn't what she wanted. Even as she was teaching the boy, she cringed every time he got all excited when learning something new and calling her, "Sensei."

She wasn't a teacher. Everything that was taught to her she had planned to let die when she finally kicked it, and yet here she was breaking that vow. And for what? A suicidal brat with some crazy eyes? She snorted and tipped her head back, downing more of the disgusting swill of her cup.

How pathetic could she get? She should've just let the boy fail, why did she have to open her fat mouth? That's right, she felt as if she could save the boy from her fate; but what brought her to that fate? That's right, the very teachings she was passing on. She felt disgusted with herself, dumping all this toxicity and poison onto some child, but the worst part was that he was just like her when she was learning. So very eager and hell-bent on trying to make their sensei proud.

The right thing to do was just cut the brat off now, before he got too attached to her or this whole sensei-student deal. Rip it off like a band-aid. But if that was the right thing to do then why did it feel so wrong? Anko gripped the cup even tighter at the thought.

"Tch, drinking like this is the worst." She muttered and downed the rest of her drink before scanning the room. She was looking for a good person to go home with and finally put an end to her night as she had done with so many nights before.

It was some time later that we saw Anko leaving the place much drunker than we last saw her with some man who had as much trouble keeping it in his pants as he did walking in a straight line. The narrator decided that was enough narrating and left her to handle her own affairs as she saw fit. Often times the right decision feels like the worst and the unhealthiest habits comfort the best; it's simply part of being human.

 **The Next Day**

Kouken yawned and stretched, cracking his back and arms as he drowsily look around.

' _Funny, I could've sworn I fell asleep on the bed…'_ he thought idly as he found himself still seated at his kitchen table with all his books strewn about. He must've dosed off while he was reading. Shaking his head and stretching again he rose from his seat and started boiling water for some tea. While that was boiling he hopped in the shower quickly and by the time he was drying off the kettle was whistling.

With a towel wrapped around his waist and his pink hair wet and matted, he poured himself some chai tea. It was his favorite flavor and when he felt like indulging himself he bought, or stole, some from the markets. One of the few things he remembered from his mother was that she loved this tea, and every morning he would wake up to the kitchen smelling of it.

Smiling to himself he put down his cup and walked around the table inspecting his notes. He had purchased a little leather notebook that would fit in his ninja pouch for jotting down research and notes on all his projects. The books were of intermediate level as he had already mastered the basics of nearly all the obscure branches of being a shinobi during his time on the reserves. Beginner books for fuinjutsu, poison, psychological warfare, torture, and more were all easily available in the ninja library and he had poured over the books multiple times. The hardest part was probably perfecting his calligraphy for fuinjutsu; it had taken him _months_ as finding the materials was not easy and stealing them was even harder.

But it had paid off and he was easily able to create storage scrolls which he had tried selling for profit for a bit before the cost to make them grew too much.

Flipping through his notes he saw a potential poison recipe that works like how snake venom congeals the blood, but instead of blood it attacks one's chakra network. It would disrupt chakra flow and control until the target was almost completely cut off from accessing his/her network. It required some snake venom that he could get from either Anko or… _training ground 44_ , he still hated that place, and a lot of his chakra.

He would take the vial of the venom and pour his own chakra into it until the liquid was laden with it. The reason being is that when someone else's chakra enters a person's system it poisons their network like blood of two different blood types would. The whole process would take a week or so of chakra feeding here and there until it was ready.

The second poison was something he already created as he had the only ingredient needed, his spider stinger. The venom found on it would create necrosis and was lethal if left untreated. As of now, and with some trial and error, he had four vials and if he wanted to make more he would need more stingers.

Moving on to a different page there was fuinjutsu notes that revolved around the barest of basics for barrier seals. Nodding to himself, Kouken had always had an interest in them because they were so damn effective, usually less chakra intensive as defensive jutsu's, and since they were so obscure they would be a lot harder to counter. Currently he had no plans or potential seals as he wanted to learn the ones provided before trying to create his own. First on his list was _Fuin Ninpo: Kiniro Seki (Sealing ninja art: Golden Barrier)_ which was a simple tag wrapped around two kunai's and thrown before you to create a wall in front of you. He also wanted to learn some chakra suppressants and paralyzing seals, but defensives were more important.

It seemed that was all he had written as after that his writing trailed off getting increasingly sloppy. Kouken sat their sipping his tea and eating his breakfast until it was time to leave. After getting dressed, Kouken strapped his kunai and shuriken pouches to his thighs and his miscellaneous pouch on the back of his waist. It was here that he had the four spider poison vials and the fuin book along with his own journal stored as he wanted to go over it whenever he had the chance. With that, Kouken was vine-whipping his way two the gate of Training Ground 44 to meet his sensei.

 **XXX**

Kouken had arrived there at six A.M. as that was the designated time and it was now 8:30 with no sight of Anko. In the back of his mind he was really pissed as he hated when someone was late; it wasted both of their times which could be spent doing more important things. Also there was the fact that his first sensei was three hours late to their meeting and then failed him. Still, Kouken made good use of his time and continued to study his sealing book, hoping to begin learning _Fuin Ninpo: Kiniro Seki_ by the day's end.

The scribbling and turning of pages was all that could be heard in the clearing when Kouken's senses went haywire. The only sound was being made by him; no birds, no bugs, hell not even a peep from the forest just behind him. Putting the book away with narrowed eyes his mind went over dozens of scenarios.

' _Anko would never be this late, she's a perfectionist and too well trained for that. Okay, something's wrong but what? Trap? No, would've been sprung long ago. Watcher? No, I would've felt it. Then…GENJUTSU!'_ Forming the release seal and interrupting the flow of his chakra he saw his surroundings shatter like the glass of a mirror. His new surroundings was some clearing inside the training ground's forest and a note.

' _Hey Brat! Pretty pitiful stuff there, I had you trapped in that genjutsu for forty minutes before heading towards the tower. Did you honestly think that I would be late? You'll be running ten laps for that one, kiddo. Speaking of laps, for every minute you're late to arrive at the tower will be another two laps you owe me. I hope you get here soon, because I was planning to teach you some new moves today._

 _Sincerely,_

 _The Awe-inspiring and Sexy-Without-Trying Anko!'_

Kouken saw the little chibi drawing of herself with a dango stick in her mouth at the bottom of the page and felt his entire body go cold. He's been trapped in a genjutsu for almost _three hours_?! Anko is going to kill him! He was going to kill himself! How could he be so stupid to assume that she was late, even for a minute?

Crumbling the note he activated _Ninpo: Goriki_ and shot through the forest like a blur. He was thankful for all the training and the removal of his body limiters as he was going at a speed that was nearly three times greater than what he used to move at. It took nearly an hour of him running to get to the tower and he was completely spent. His limit for _Goriki_ was twenty minutes and he forced himself to thirty-five before he had to shut it down andresort to the sloppier method of pumping chakra into his legs. Thankfully, Anko dumped him somewhat close to the tower or he never would've gotten here so quickly.

Panting, he went to open the door when he was sent flying from a brutal kick to his ribs. Flying a good twenty feet before he could right himself he fell to a crouch and held his side with a wince. That kick definitely bruised the bones. Standing, he circled slowly in a defensive posture trying to find where the attacker was. Just then he heard a rustle to his right and a second later his face buried itself in the dirt. Rising once more and ignoring the swelling of his right cheekbone he tried to make a break for the tower with a burst of speed only to find himself folded over someone's arm with their elbow buried into his gut.

"Gach!" He coughed out spittle and blood as he tried to see who attacked him with his one good eye. The other had already swollen shut and everything out of it was blurry. He was just able to make out a purple pineapple styled mop of hair.

"Three hours and forty-eight minutes." The voice, which was definitely female, said as she dropped him to the ground. He looked up at her and saw the cold expression worn by his sensei.

"You were three hours and forty-eight minutes late to our _second_ training meeting because you thought _I_ was late. Your situational awareness is so horrid I have no clue how you managed to survive the forest for five days." She said in disgust.

Kouken felt blood rushing to his cheeks and even though half of his face was swollen in colors of black and blue the shame was still easily seen. He looked at her feet and dug his fingers into the ground.

"Originally," She said, continuing her disgusted rant, "I had planned to merely make you run laps, but something so… _pathetic_ of a shinobi needs to be beaten out." She then picked up the boy and threw him away from the tower and stood like a statute in front of the doors. "Until you can get passed me, and into the tower, the beating will not end. You're going to learn to never trust your surroundings again brat."

Kouken stumbled to his feet and was launched into the air by a vicious kick only to rocket back towards the ground from a heel kick to the back. He didn't even get a chance to prop more than one arm on the ground before he was grabbed by the heel and thrown into a tree.

For hours, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of flesh hitting flesh, but never was there a single scream.

 **XXX**

Anko sighed disgustedly as she looked at the passed out form of her student. The boy was a total mess, even after she had performed healing jutsu's. His face was covered in various shades of bruises ranging from black to yellow and his body wasn't much better. He had lasted a good while, almost as long as he had been late, but there was only so much a child his age could take from a merciless beating given by a ninja like her. She had planned to teach the brat intimidation techniques and the like, but instead she left him with a lesson that would never leave his mind; and if, even for a moment, it slipped then she would teach him the lesson all over again. She couldn't believe that he had been stuck in that genjutsu for so long, it was disgraceful!

On a mission or a time of war he would've gotten himself and all his comrades killed. No ninja of Konoha would be so weak, and not even when it snowed in hell would Anko allow any student of hers to be so either. When the boy wakes, she would teach him about genjutsu's and throughout the week they had together she would test him. If he failed…then he would find himself back in the bed again, with no healing from her.

Maybe she was so cold because she woke up hungover and completely unsatisfied with her partner's abilities, but she didn't feel bad. The less mercy she showed him, the quicker he would get to chunin level. That was her plan, if the boy only needed to get to chunin then she would raise his own skills to bring him to that level. She wouldn't have him long enough to pass on any of her sensei's disgusting skills.

He wasn't going to be getting up for a while, or at least until she thought he's rested enough, so she decided to occupy her time by rifling through his stuff. Hey, she was bored and it's not like he's got love letters or some private shit so where's the harm? Besides, he'll never find out.

 **At the Hokage's Tower**

Hiruzen stared at the waning sun and rubbed his aching joints. There was a time when sitting in this chair filled his bones with pride, not arthritis; but now he's of age where the hat weighs as heavily on his brow as his regrets do on his heart. But now wasn't the time for such thoughts, as he was done for the day and he had company in the form of his oldest friend and rival.

"Do you remember after Tobirama-Sensei's group teaching, the two of us would continue training until we dropped and from there we would sit and talk of how we would make Konoha great?" The aged Sarutobi said wistfully to the man resting on the couch.

"I do…if I remember correctly you had said that when you became Hokage you would make this couch that I'm sitting on your chair so you could do your paperwork lying down and that the bath houses would be co-ed in times of war." He said with some of his patented tone that was dry and mirthful.

"Hahahaha yes…yes I do remember that one rather well…" He said laughing before becoming pensive again and staring at the setting sun. "Often there are times where I look back to those talks and wonder if I'm doing the right thing, or am I leading us to our doom." He said with a heavy tone.

Danzou looked at him critically. There was a time, not so long ago, where in a moment like this he would've used it to persuade Hiruzen to give him the hat, but after coming to blows with him on a physical level and shadowing him he realized that he no longer wished for the Hokage's chair. It was after that the two were finally able to repair their friendship and seeing his best friend in such a state bothered him.

"This is about the boy, Izoumaru, right?" He asked getting no reply in return. "You see a lot of Orochimaru in him and I agree with you, but we cannot dismiss the future because of the mistakes from the past. With everything that's happened we should be able to do right here where we did wrong then." Danzou gripped his cane hard. Associating with that traitor was the most shameful part of his life, and admitting everything to Hiruzen after he had found out was the hardest thing he had ever done.

"Anko must be going through such turmoil right now. To be on the opposite end, teaching somebody as similar to him. I fear she will be too hard on him." He admitted as he swiveled his chair to face Danzou.

"And I still say you're too soft on these kids. If she is hard on the boy then he will become that much stronger, like we did in our youth." He said dismissively.

"And how many of our friends died before we even reached his age? There's a reason we don't do things like we did back then…That's what happened with Orochimaru; we pushed and pushed for more and more talent from him, completely ignoring all the damage it did on the way. I've read Anko's report on the boy and I know you did as well, the similarities are frightening." He said with a troubled look in his eye.

"Oh for fuck sake Hiruzen! Are you truly going to just sit there staring into a sunset and moan about your regrets?! That's the oldest and gayest thing I have ever heard in my entire life!" Danzou said as he threw his hands up in exasperation before huffing in annoyance. "Listen, you fucked up with Orochimaru, and yes, the boy could turn out just like him, but we both know better now! It's a simple fact that had the things that occurred with Orochimaru never happen, he would probably be sitting in your seat right now, and if this child has the potential to turn out just as strong as he did then combined with our wisdom, he'll never fall down the same road." He now had Hiruzen's full attention as the man stared hard into his friend looking for even an ounce of doubt.

He couldn't.

"Yes, yes, you're right. Anyways, I had given Anko three months to train the boy before they start missions; as of now they have only two more months left. I want you here when they report in." He said trying to sound all formal as if he didn't just agree with his friend that he was being gay.

"Pfft, think you old ape; where else would I be?" The cripple said as he waved his hand dismissively.

"Gee, when you put it like that, I forget that you don't have a social life like normal people do." The aged hokaged retorted.

Silence fell between them as small, identical smiles graced their faces. They put aside their paperwork and shared a drink as well as toast all those who had fallen as they had always done at the end of the day.

 **~~~~~Back with Kouken, Some odd Hours Later~~~~**

Kouken had woke on his own some time ago, greeted with a throbbing body and numerous aches. His face seemed to be completely healed, save for some tenderness, as well as any bones that might've been broken. His sensei must've healed him.

At the thought of his teacher his hands balled into fists and he stared down at his lap in shame. He had failed spectacularly and he wasn't even being tested! He was so sure that everything would be smooth sailing that he didn't stop to think, even going as far to think that it was his sensei who had been late instead of him.

He wouldn't even blame her if she decided to get another student and ditch him. Not being able to take it anymore he threw the sheets off and put on his dirty and torn clothing. Walking through the halls he couldn't seem to find his sensei, so he elected to train himself until the pain overrode his shame. It would be like this for a few hours, him cycling through jutsu's faster and faster, ignoring the pain of his chakra network. He would then pummel the training dummies until his previous injuries forced him to sit and then he worked on breaking his chakra flow quicker in case of genjutsu's.

After some more time passed and he was still alone, his insecurities became too much for him to ignore and he began speculating as he performed laps.

' _What if she isn't coming back? What if I failed and she's talking with the Hokage to get me kicked from the program?!'_ He picked up the pace as his fears pushed him harder.

' _She looked disgusted, as if I was filth! Unfit to even fight in the Reserves…'_ Worried eyes looked onwards, towards something only he could see and if somebody didn't act now he would tear the place up looking for his teacher.

Just then he saw movement from his left and he turned just in time to block a kunai that would've pierced his neck.

"Better, but not good enough. I was here for ten minutes watching you work and you didn't even notice me. Whatever you were thinking, you need to stop, it's making your awareness shit." She said bluntly as she threw his ninja pouch at him.

He didn't even know she had taken it, he was that caught up in his thoughts. Catching it and putting it into place he immediately dropped to his knees and bowed in shame.

"Please forgive me Anko-Sensei! I promise to never let you down again!" He all but shouted.

Silence filled the training hall as his teacher appraised him with a critical eye, unbeknownst to him who was still bowing with his face on the floor. He was almost afraid to look up.

"If you forget again, I will point out your error like I did before. However, there will be no healing, there will be no carrying of your ass to a bed. I will simply leave you there to wake up and crawl to a hospital on your own. Do I make myself clear?" She asked crisply.

"Hai! Anko-sensei!" He barked out and saluted stiffly.

"Good, now listen up!" She yelled as he scrambled over to her. Once he was in front of her and completely focused on her she continued, "I've been given two more months of pure, uninterrupted training before you're given the go-ahead for any missions. In that time I want you to achieve all the little projects you've been focusing on in that book of yours as well as master everything here."

He nodded and figured that he wouldn't be able to pay his rent for the next two months as he would be staying here. It was a good thing he paid off the first four months of rent just in case something like this happened.

"I will be focusing on your taijutsu, awareness, tactics, and jutsu's. As an incentive, if you do well and we finish ahead of schedule, I will teach you a new jutsu." She said in a tone that left him thinking that she doubted it would happen.

Kouken stared up at her with a determined expression, he would prove himself to her and leave no room for any other potential student.

She stared back at him and smirked at the determined expression coating his face. _'This brat will definitely go far, nearly any outside stimuli makes him train harder. Shame? Train. Regret? Train. Fear? Train.'_ She would ensure that he would feel all of these during their time so he would reach chunin level quicker. And then Anko could finally get her long overdue promotion.

"Are you ready brat?" She asked with her smirk remaining.

"Bring it on, Anko-Sensei." He said with a fierce look in his dark blue eyes.

"You're gonna regret those words, kid. I _guarantee_ it."

And that would be the last time anyone would see the two for the next two months. Some would say that the crazy snake lady finally bit it on a mission, some would say the cheeky brat's gut finally met a shiv and was rotting away in some alleyway. Neither were true of course, but damn if the boy didn't wish it to be in the next couple of months.

 **~~~~Time-Skip, Two Months, Three Months since the Conception of the Tokubetsu Sensei Initiative~~~~**

Kouken groaned as he rolled out of bed. Reflexively, he disrupted his chakra and felt for the kunai under his pillow. It had been some time since he was able to sleep without being attacked by his crazy teacher. Have you ever gotten ensnared in a genjutsu while sleeping? Fucking impossible to notice, and even harder to break out of.

Morning grogginess became his most hated enemy as he suffered quite a few _lessons_ like the time he was late because he fell victim to a genjutsu right as he left his bed. Now it was almost like a habit to test for genjutsu's upon waking up.

He soon relaxed when he remembered his sensei was out on a mission, and wouldn't be back for another week at the latest. The two months he spent training with her was harder than anything he had ever done before, even his five days within the Forest of Death, and he could easily tell the results. He was twice as fast as he was before, as strong as he used to be when _Ninpo: Goriki_ was active and his taijutsu actually had a form to it. Granted, he didn't actually adopt the hebi-style, he was only using it for the time being.

His projects had finished well into the first month, both the poison's and the barrier seals. His _Fuin Ninpo: Kiniro Seki_ worked spectacularly, and so did his chakra disrupting poison. He figured out how to apply his poisons to his thorny vine's so he was pleased that all he needed was just a scratch for a fight to be over. His plan was to cover every base to give him any and all advantages in a fight. Currently, he was working on a non-lethal, knockout toxin derived from plants, but it was a low-priority project. His sealing, however, was much more important and he was working on creating a chakra suppressant seal. Sadly, progress was agonizingly slow and in the month and a half he was working on it, he couldn't see it being completed anytime soon.

His other jutsu's were refined to a point that he only needed one seal for his _Hana Ninpo: Natsui Hana_ and the chakra cost for everything else was cut by a quarter. Speaking of Jutsu's, he was pleased with the newest addition as Anko had promised to deliver should he excel past the schedule and free up some time at the end. Before she left, she had given him a scroll for another poison scroll and he loved it. Truthfully, he had yet to master it as it was a bit tricky, but it would work as both a defensive, supportive, and offensive move if used correctly. The jutsu was called _Ninpo: Dokugiri_. He suspected that it would take him a long time to learn the move as it required advanced control and understanding of chemistry, both of which he had yet to achieve. But there was nothing stopping him from experimenting!

For control, Anko had him perform the leaf sticking exercise _while_ Wall-running and that with every minute he could stay on, he would add another leaf. When he seemed to get the grasp of that she began throwing a variety of sharp objects at him that he was forced to dodge, all the while keeping his leaf in place. Had he dropped even one, Anko would disappear in a burst of speed and then drop _him_.

Kouken winced at the memories of her training regime; only three months in, two of which was actually one-on-one training, and he was sure lasting mental scars had already formed. Maybe he could ask Doc about it when he meets with him this week.

"Doc" was what he called his psychiatrist, Inochi Yamanaka, clan leader of the Yamanaka clan. Sure it was mildly disrespectful, but he was his patient and the things they had to discuss were rather personal.

Kouken ambled over to his tea kettle and began making his customary cup of chai tea along with his breakfast of scrambled eggs, dried meat, and some rice. He pushed some of his notes and books on the table aside to make room for a plate when he noticed that one of the books was turned to a different page then what he left it on the night before.

Narrowing his eyes he paused for only a second before acting like everything was normal. _'It appears I had some visitors…'_

Leaving his breakfast and the kitchen he walked around to each room picking up odds and ends as if he was tidying up, but in reality he was surveying each of his rooms to see if anything else was moved. Bedroom, living room, bathroom, and his guest bedroom that he converted into a study/workshop all seemed normal. That meant only the kitchen was visited which was odd considering the only thing in the kitchen was..the…food….

Kouken realized with a start at what was happening and rushed off to his bedroom closet. Grabbing a small pack on the floor he opened it up to reveal a bunch of vials that contained a clear liquid. Running back to his kitchen he dropped small bits and pieces of his food into the liquid and then shook the vial.

He watched with bated breath as, one by one, the clear colour of the liquid turned to a light purple.

"Fucking poisoned my food! We aren't even training! She's supposed to be away on a mission, how the hell did she even do it?!" Kouken fumed at the sight of all his food being spiked with various poisons. See, Anko delivered on her promise that not all his food would be safe to eat and increasing his awareness skills. While they were together at the training tower she would spike his food here and there and he never was able to determine if it was bad or not because he couldn't leave the tower to buy a testing kit. There were many times he would be forced to continue training in spite of him running a simmering fever, paralyzed muscles, and/or uncontrollable bowel movements.

Anko claimed it would, "Toughen him up and make him pay more attention to every detail of every damn day."

"Fucking unbelievable…" He grumbled as he took out a bottle of water and some military rations from his supply closet for breakfast. Being with Anko made him a helluva lot stronger…but it also gave him like another 300 things to bitch about on a daily basis.

Thinking of his sensei and the time he spent with her lately made him frown. He couldn't figure her out; he doubted anyone could, but he was talking about herself personally. There were times when the two of them would banter back and forth and he would enjoy himself. She was always funny and never admonished him for being crude and disrespectful like other adults had. But there were also times when she viewed, and told, him that he was merely her assignment and it was her job to get make him stronger. She would become less of a sensei and more like a captain or drill-sergeant.

' _Bet she's Bi-polar or some shit.'_ He thought to himself as he dressed and exited his house.

Since last week, when his time with her to train came to an end, he's been placed randomly into active genin squads who were down a man to complete D-rank missions. Needless to say, he loathed it.

When he was told that after their training would finish he would be given the green-light for missions he assumed he would be doing C-rank and the like since he already completed a _lifetime_ of D-ranks. But apparently the hokage had other plans and wanted him doing D-ranks so he could get the feel of what teamwork was like.

He reports in each day to the mission distributer, watches like a billion teams go in and out, and always gets paired up with some random team towards the end. So his distaste for this plan was clearly obvious.

Arriving at the mission center, Kouken strolled in and was greeted by three chunin and the aged Hokage.

Falling to one knee and placing his right fist into his left shoulder Kouken greeted his village's leader. "Hokage-Sama."

The hokage gave a small chuckle with the shake of his head. "Always so formal. You bow as if you're in my ANBU. Stand up my boy," He said warmly and waved his hand towards the chair by the door, "Take a seat, I'm sure today's wait will be no different than before."

He watched the boy walk towards his seat and he kept his pleasant expression aimed towards him, but on the inside he was scrutinizing the young shinobi. He may have folded on the matter of not trusting the boy with Danzou, but he could still test the boy.

"So tell me Kouken, how's the shinobi lifestyle treating you? Moreover, how's _Anko_ treating you?" He said with a sympathetic look.

Kouken snapped to attention at his leader's question and he straightened in his chair, "It's fine sir, testing and trying, but nothing I didn't expect or want."

A formal and vague answer while just maintain politeness; he would have to pierce the boy's formal respect. "And Anko? I know she can be strict and somewhat sadistic when it comes to training."

Kouken internally agreed, but didn't vocally complain because her methods were producing fast results that he was thrilled with. "She's a great teacher, I've grown in leaps and bounds since I've begun training with her. I'm learning so many fields that I could only dream of."

Hiruzen smiled at the boy, appearing to be glad for his happiness. This was his gateway to deeper answers; talking about training seemed to get the boy enthusiastic and less formal. A common trait in many youthful genins.

Just then, the first genin team entered the room and everyone fought to suppress a groan. It would seem the hokage's conversational probing would have to wait for another time.

"Ha Ha! You see that Lee? That is how you get here before all the other teams!" A booming voice swathed in green spandex and orange legwarmers.

It was Might Guy and team nine.

 **~~~~Somewhere in the Land of Tea~~~~**

A massive man dressed in greens, reds, and greens sat in a clearing on a log near a rundown shack. He had an equally massive mess of spiky white hair and he was seen conversing with a small toad. That alone was enough to put the entire scene as well as the man's mental stability into question had it not been for the ragged screams emanating from the shack behind him.

"Alright, thanks gamatsuchi. You can go back now, but be ready; I may have need for you again." The man said to the small toad.

"As you say, Jiraiya-Sama." The toad said with a nod and disappeared in a plume of white smoke.

It was only moments later that the shack door opened out and Anko stepped out cleaning her hands with a dirty rag that wasn't near as foul as her disgruntled look. The man now identified as Jiraiya looked over his shoulder and saw her approaching and rose from his seat to meet her.

"My spies can't pick up any of the man's comrades and there were no survivors found near the village either." He said with an exhausted sigh and then looked past her towards the shack, "I heard more screaming than actual talking, I'm guessing he's no different than the others?" He asked dully.

"Afraid so, the bastard is too deranged to talk and his seal is doing more damage to him than anything I ever could. There's nothing to be gotten out of him except a migraine." She said angrily as she stuffed her hands into her trench coats pockets.

Jiraiya sighed once more and looked off towards the horizon, "It's been a week and all the people my spy network has managed to catch can't provide any solid Intel on these attacks, the group responsible, or their motives. Whomever is in charge of them is used to dealing with advanced spy networks and knows how to counteract them." A frown marred his face and worry along with frustrations shone in his eyes.

The two of them were tasked with heading to Tea Country to investigate a string of attacks on villages that always ended with said villages becoming ghost towns. The places would be in ruins and there were clear signs of fighting, but never a trace of the people that lived there. No bodies, and no tracks leading away from the village. It's as if they just vanished.

For a while they were chasing these attacks after they happened, but they got lucky and managed to be near a village when it was happening. By the time they arrived everyone was gone save for the man that was still screaming in their homely shack.

The only thing they got from him was that Orochimaru was involved as Jiraiya feared/suspected. The seal on the man's neck was a dead giveaway and that only made getting some information even more important. Sadly, both Anko's talents and Jiraiya's contacts went unrewarded and all they were left with was growing unease. Both of them could _feel_ movements in the shadows and it didn't sit well with either of them.

"Staying here is pointless, let's head to the next town and see if they got any refugees or heard anything." He said and with a nod from his partner the two were dashing through the trees.

Silence fell between the two of them for a considerable leg of their journey until Jiraiya just couldn't handle the boredom any longer. "So….I heard that you finally taken on a student. That true?" He asked delicately, she was already in a foul mood and he was warned by his sensei that this was touchy subject for her.

Eyes trained ahead she didn't answer the question immediately. "Yes." She said tersely and Jiraiya knew that he had to tread carefully.

"So, what's he like? Has he fallen for your considerable charms already?" He asked jokingly hoping to lighten the mood and was rewarded with a snort.

"Hardly, the brat gets hard-on's at the prospect of more training. These," She said motioning to her curves with her hand, "Go unappreciated."

"That's a shame, I was hoping for some research material on a forbidden student teacher bond." He said with a lecherous grin and an exaggerated sense of sadness.

Anko rolled her eyes at the legendary ninja's perversion. She was used to it from all the times she met the guy and is no source of purity herself, but she wasn't a fan of how he treated other woman. Luckily for her, and his safety, he had never attempted to peek on her. Silence fell between the two of them again for a while until Anko broke it.

"Kouken." She said simply.

Jiraiya looked towards her studying her expression which was more guarded than it needed to be for this mission. "That his name?" He asked and got a nod in return. He didn't press further after that and silence lasted until they reached the next town.

 **In Konoha, with Kouken**

Kouken shook his head and muttered strings of curses under his breath, "I just _had_ to open my fucking mouth, huh?" Why Kouken was so mad could've been anyone's guess but a reasonable person would be able to assume that his current temperament was due to his current clothing.

Kouken was dressed in a suit of green spandex and orange legwarmers with weights on his arms, legs, and chest. Why he was in such a get-up was simple; he's training. Training with Team 9 to be exact. You see it was his team that had requested for a fill-in as their resident prick was busy with clan duties that would keep him away for two weeks. Kouken had readily volunteered as he didn't want to sit waiting in the mission center all day as he had before and they accepted him.

They performed their D-rank missions with ease and when they went to go train Kouken had asked to tag along. After explaining that his sensei was away and would be for at least a week and wanted to keep busy besides going over what his sensei laid out for him Might Guy was sent into a fit of passionate cries and shouts. Soon his clone had joined him in their hysterics about the power of youth and before Kouken could rethink his decision he was wearing the ridiculous outfit and weights once more.

Numerous kunai streaked from the tree lines and he was forced to duck and bit back another curse.

"Keep on those laps my youthful charge! You have twenty more to go and Tenten! Keep practicing, give it everything you got!" Guy's booming voice shouted as he continued his tiajutsu bout with his student and clone, Rock Lee.

Guy had Kouken run laps to get adjusted to the weights and had his other student, Tenten, harassing him with all manner of sharp objects to keep him on the move and train her as well. It felt hauntingly familiar to his last meeting with the wondrous and charming Team Nine.

As their time together training was drawing to an end and Kouken had finally finished all the exercises Guy had given to him he found himself staring at the exuberant Rock Lee. The two were about 15 yards apart and to the side was an exhausted Tenten and a serious faced Guy-sensei.

After learning that Kouken was adopting his sensei's taijutsu style, but was also looking for a more perfect fit he ordered the two to spar, much to his youthful student's excitement.

"I've heard of the snake style, and Guy-sensei has told me of its lethality, but I look forward to seeing how it would fare against the Goken." Lee said with a determined yet excited look upon his face.

Kouken stared curiously at his opponent and was wondering himself how the Goken would fair. Perhaps it would fit him better than the Hebi-style, but he was simply too tired and annoyed to vocalize this to the bowl-haired boy.

"Yeah…?" he asked curiously as everyone waited for him to say more but after a long silence only interrupted by a breeze rustling leaves proved that was all he had to contribute.

A sweat-drop appeared on the exhausted form of Tenten and she buried her head in her hand. She knew what was coming nex-

"CURSE YOU AND YOUR HIP ATTITUDE!" Lee said with a shaking fist and a fire in his eyes, "I WILL BEAT YOU IN THIS SPAR OR I WILL DO THREE HUNDRED PULL-UPS OFF THE HOKAGE MONUMENT'S BROW!"

Without time to even raise an eyebrow in response, Kouken was forced to contort his body and turn his head towards the left to evade a punch and kick from the boy. Any thoughts melted from his mind as instinct and training took over, filling him with a sort of lethal focus that was only found in a snake approaching its prey. Fist after fist flew towards him and all found no purchase except air as he continued to weave around them and twist his body at angles that seemed equal parts painful and anatomically impossible.

It was towards Lee's credit that no frustration seemed to find its way into his being. One of the bonuses of the Hebi-style was that it was so frustrating to fight that it would usually anger the opponent into making a rash move. Instead the boy seemed to only double his efforts and where he was hitting only air before, he was now skimming the hairs and fabrics of his body. Kouken knew that if he didn't attack soon he would be overwhelmed and that the only way he'd be able to continue dodging was if he activated _Ninpo: Goriki_ which seemed unfair in a taijutsu bout.

Just then the opening he was waiting for was created when a fist aimed for his mouth overextended by him leaning just out of the boy's original reach. Now slightly off-balance, Kouken's limbs launched towards his prey reminiscent of a snake. A kick landed to the Lee's back knee causing his weight to shift even more. A punch to the left shoulder opened the boy's stance up even further and a grab to the collar eliminated any space between the two for him to launch a counter. Finally Kouken swept the foot closest to him out from under him and with Lee undefended and falling a vicious knee found its way to the boy's face.

A crunch could be heard through the clearing and Tenten looked to her sensei in alarm, expecting him to end it, but all she saw was him staring at the fight just as serious as he was before with no apparent intent of moving. She swallowed thickly and turned back to the fight, still confident that her teammate would emerge victorious.

Back at the fight, Lee was struggling to untangle himself from his opponent's vice grip. Blow after blow landed on his face, delivered by punches, knees, and elbows. His vision swam and he felt his center of gravity lurch once more when he was roughly shoved away. Seeking to capitalize on his freedom he made to dash away, but both of the pink-haired boy's legs had wrapped around his neck and in a stunning display of aerial acrobatics, Lee's world was flipped upside down. Failing to bring his arms to cover his face, the ground met it just as harshly as the previous blows did and it was only then was he able to roll away from the lethally quick and precise shinobi. Now safely ten yards away from his opponent he spared the time to wipe the blood flowing down his busted face and nose with his sleeve, but he never took his eyes of the enemy. He stood in the same position and stance as he did before the fight started, even after all his dodging the boy never took a step back. In a surge of speed unprecedented in the fight until then, Lee appeared behind the boy and landed a devastating axel kick to his shoulder. He had watched the boy turn too late to dodge and saw the split second decision to position his body in such a way that the damage would be minimalized. If Lee had the time to think and admire, he would praise how shrewd and calculative the boy was in hand-to-hand combat. But unfortunately for Kouken, his luck had run out.

Kouken wasn't prepared for the burst of speed brought on by Lee and was even worse prepared for the kick that almost dislocated his shoulder. The pain was immediate and immense and it was only due to his training that he was able to quash a portion of it; however, like he had done with Lee just early, a rain of blows had landed on his body. One punch hit him directly in his right thigh, causing the muscles to seize and lock up. Another landed on his left brow near his temple, forcing his head downwards only for his vision of the ground to be interrupted with a rising kick that snapped his head and the rest of his body back. He flew through the air and before he could right himself Lee appeared above him once more with his knees tucked to his chest delivering a brutal double-heeled stomp that sent him straight back to the ground.

Kouken felt the air leave him and he drew a rattling breath, if he didn't move and take back the initiative he would surely succumb to boy's outrageous speed and skill. Rolling away, he missed a punch by just centimeters and _felt_ the cracks it left in the ground rather than actually seeing them. Completing his roll with a backflip and a hop away he landed on the balls of his feet and bent his knees just slightly. An instant later he was inside Lee's guard and was delivering fast paced jabs to pressure points at his shoulders, pecs, and sides. His goal was to limit the movement of the shoulders, seize the muscles of his chest, and stiffen the turning ability in his sides. Completing his attack he followed by dropping low to ground and propelling his legs into the boy's stomach by his hands. Feeling the insanely strong genin fold over his feet he drew just one of his legs back and sent it back towards his unprotected face, launching the boy off of his legs and on to his back.

Finally Kouken allowed a smile to break his cold and lethal composure as he saw the opportunity to end the fight with a neck chop as the boy was struggling to get up because of the pressure point strikes earlier. That was the plan, to get him to the ground and inhibit him just enough for Kouken to land a finishing blow. He loved the feeling of when a plan came together.

Speeding towards the downed genin he felt so assured of his victory that he didn't even have the chance to compute when his entire world went black.

Lee pushed himself off the down form of Kouken and limped over towards his sensei, holding his sides and presenting a rather busted face. It seemed that besides his chest and arms, his face took majority of his partner's ire. It was fortunate that he was able to move after such strikes, vaguely reminiscent of the Jyuuken and almost as deadly. The truth was, he was moving at half speed the entire match, and only went to his max speed without the weights being removed at the very end.

"Gai-Sensei! I won! Di-" He said exuberantly only to have his sensei briskly walk past him with a serious look on his face. Turning in confusion Lee saw him kneel before his downed opponent and wave some smelling salts in his face, stirring the boy to consciousness.

"Uhhh-wha?" Kouken groaned as he held his head in pain and clenched his eyes tight, hoping that it would somehow alieve the pain throbbing from inside his skull. Soon enough his vision cleared and he realized that a stern faced Might Guy was leaning over him with his two confused and battered students in the background.

"I…lost?" He said unbelievably. It couldn't be, he was literally moments away from winning!

"You did, but you performed admirably. Training is done for the day and you will report here for training every day along with my students. We will continue with our scheduled missions and then we arrive here. During this time period, you are not to take off your weights or use chakra at all." His tone was frim and brokered no argument, considering what he just went through and still shaking off the effects of a knockout all he could do was nod numbly and watch them leave the training ground.

Kouken stared down at his hands with a confused expression, one minute he was going in for the kill and the next…he was the kill. He had lost.

' _How could I lose?...'_

 **AND THAT'S A WRAP! Not a lot of action today and some time-skips, I know that may seem cheating or skipping parts of the story, but I have a tendency to write out every. Little. Detail. To the point that it's wholly unnecessary, so in lue of this I decided to skip some lengthy training periods as it would stretch like four chapters around the same length of this one and be terribly dull to read and write. Ultimately, I'd end up quitting the story for the sheer lack of willpower to get through the little dry spot and we would all be fucked. Anyways, I just want to say that I truly and deeply appreciate all your reviews and support. Truly, they've all been a delight to read and have motivated me to not only continue writing when I wanted to do something else, but wish to improve the quality of the story even though it might take me off the path I envisioned thus creating more work. Ya'll made me not wanna disappoint, here's to hoping I can deliver. As always, all questions, comments and concerns will be answered if you drop a review or hit me with a P.M.**

 **Laxtastic signing off!**


	6. Chapter 6: Danger&Demons of the Unseen

**HELLO EVERYONE! Okay so big thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed; your support is a constant source of motivation for me. I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed writing this chapter because this is one where the plot actually begins to develop and introduces numerous things that will later affect Kouken as a character later on. Damn I got some goosebumps just thinking about it. To address the pairing question, I haven't even given it any thought as I don't see it as all that important right now or later on towards Kouken's character. Should I decide to do a romance then it will be an OC and not a stupid one or a shitty self-insert. I won't have any romance between him and Anko because that violates the nature of the relationship I'm trying to achieve here. As always, any questions or concerns you have can be answered with a review or pm. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Chapter Six: Dangers and Demons of the Unseen**

Anko blew out a sharp breath as she dodged a massive ball of fire only to stumble over her feet like a drunk. Slouched over and breathing heavy, she stared at her faceless opponent through half-lidded eyes. Trying to stand straighter Anko was only rewarded with swimming vision and more swaying. The bastard did some sort of jutsu and her earhole's got raped, so now her balance was fucked. Gritting her teeth she went through hand seals as quickly as her impaired body could allow and spewed out a veritable sea of snakes.

" _Ninpo: Mandara no Jin_!" She shouted with a slur and watched as nearly ten thousand snakes filled their cramped clearing and rushed her opponent with fangs barred. To the man's credit, who was garbed in dull colours and wore a completely blank white mask, he showed no panic. Or any kind of emotion for that matter. He simply raised his palms and the wall of snakes were blasted apart, sending gory entrails all over the clearing and spraying the air in a fine red mist. Anko was caught flat-footed as the man wasted no time and rushed her, burying his fist in her stomach and then slapping his palm onto her back.

A terrible crack filled the clearing and what would've been a shower of blood and bone was instead a shower of splinters thanks to a quick substitution from Anko.

"Awight yoou basstaard! Let's GOOO!" Anko slurred/shouted as she dashed as upright as she could towards the ninja with dozens of snakes spilling out of her sleeves. She may not have been able to throw a decent punch in her current state, but her snakes only need a single bite and they were free of her injuries.

The faceless man danced and weaved in between the striking serpents while backpedaling away from the advancing Anko until he leaped away and landed on a branch within in the tree line by the edge of the clearing. He tossed a dozen kunai her way and with some hand seals a dozen turned into nearly a hundred. Anko bit back a curse as she tried her best to avoid the sharp bombardment, but her balance proved to be hazardous and three of them pierced her body.

Two of them were lodged in her right arm, one was stuck nearly to the hilt in her left thigh. Two more would've punctured her heart and lungs, but her mesh armor had thankfully prevented such a thing from happening. Sparing a glance at her heavily bleeding leg, she tore the kunai out and was forced to dodge once more as six of the kunai from the metal storm began to turn mid-flight. The ends of them had a slightly glowing blue strand that came from the man's fingers and Anko used the kunai she tore from her thigh to block three that would've pierced her neck.

Hitting the floor and rolling away from the remaining three Anko summoned a small brown snake and had it bite into her thigh, right where her wound was. It would appear she was using the snake's blood congealing venom to stop the blood flow. A risky move for anyone that didn't have her experience with snakes, but if she didn't finish the fight soon then the venom would eventually get to her heart; regardless of her resistance towards their venom.

' _I only got another three minutes, I need to end this! Dammit where the hell is that fucking perv!'_ Anko thought with a grimace before she was forced to twist her torso sharply.

A stone spike had jutted out of the ground from behind her and would've destroyed her kidneys, but her last minute dodge had resulted in only a tearing of her mesh armor and moderately bloody wound in her side. Before she could retaliate a pop and poof of smoke had revealed the ninja had substituted with one of his kunai's just in front of her. He threw a punch towards her, but Anko lashed out with a lightening quick jab that crushed his windpipe. At least it would've if the man in front of her was made of flesh and blood, but his form began to decay and fall into mud. A fireball from her side had impacted the decaying mud clone that her hand was still lodged in and hardened it keeping her arm firmly stuck. She grunted as the flames had burned her cheek and arm slightly and destroyed the right sleeve of her trench coat, but these were all superficial compared to what was coming.

The masked ninja dashed towards her, palm facing towards her, intent on blasting her away at point blank range. She began tugging on her arm and placed a foot on the mud prison to give her more leverage. He was only twenty yards away now.

Fifteen yards away, Anko pulled a kunai out with her left hand and began stabbing at the area around her lodged arm.

Ten yards away, Anko had a look of panic in her face as she began tugging frantically; his palm now had a slight vortex swirling and glowed grey.

Five yards away, Anko continued her display of fear until she let out a vicious smirk and stared straight at the oncoming ninja. That was the only warning he got and at the last second he bailed his attack and jumped away with a chakra enhanced leap. He was lucky that he managed to get away at the last second because a snake the size of something out of the Forest of Death came bursting out of the ground; seeking to devour him entirely.

The ninja landed back on the branches of the trees and watched as the massive snake turned towards her master and swallowed her and the hardened mud prison whole. After that it dove back into the ground and quietness returned to the clearing that held their battle.

Standing up straight and staring at the spot where his target was previously held he pulled a kunai out of his pouch with a seal dangling from the ring and threw it high into the air. Once it reached its climax it exploded in a shower of green not unlike a firework.

The branch that once held the masked ninja was now empty and the only thing that hinted at him being there was the slight shaking of the leaves.

 **With Jiraiya**

Jiraiya watched as thirteen of similarly garbed ninja's retreated into the forest after seeing a green blast in the sky. He stood there stony faced and after he could no longer feel their presence he let loose a ragged sigh. This whole thing is turning worse and worse, and the only info they manage to dig up serves only to discomfort them further. Just then a rumbling was heard to his left and a giant snake burst from the earth and spewed out a fucked up Anko with her hand stuck in what looked like hardened clay.

"Well you look like shit, did that one guy really give you so much trouble?" He asked in an almost condescending tone, but actually was worried as he took stock of her injuries. Her clothing was a mess and her mesh armor was torn in numerous places. Her right arm and cheek was all pink, peeling, and blistering from some burns. Her side had a hole the size of a baby's fist and was pouring copious amounts of blood and her thigh had a similar wound except it looked almost swollen and the veins around it were discolored. Her face was caked with dirt, snake juices, saliva, and her ears had trails of blood going down them.

"Yeah and where were you?" She asked angrily, "In a brothel, I bet."

"And you'd lose that bet. I was dealing with his nineteen buddies; in fact, six of them liked my company so much they decided to stay!" He replied with a smirk and gestured to the bodies littering the floor.

Anko stared at him and looked away with a scoff, "Yeah, well I was probably dealing with their leader."

"If you say so…" He said airily as if the words were trailing off in the wind. "What needs immediate attention?" He asked worriedly as he bent down and started inspecting her wounds. Sparing a glance at the hardened mud, he threw a punch and shattered it, freeing her arm which appeared to be bent awkwardly at her wrist.

Anko cradled her free arm and with a sharp breath she snapped the wrist back to its usual angle. She grunted and dipped her head towards her thigh, "I used a snake venom to congeal the blood to halt the bleeding, you need to suck the venom out quickly or it'll reach my heart."

Jiraiya nodded and began pulling the venom out with his lips. In any other situation, Jiraiya would've been making lewd comments and teasing Anko about having a thing for older men, but he was too worried for her partner. Ever since Orochimaru had casted her away Jiraiya had taken care of her whenever he was in the village. He had sealed up her curse seal and brought her to his teammate, Tsunade, so she could check and repair any damage the seal had done to her body. After bringing her back to the village, which he was part of the task force that founded her, he stayed with her. He took on all the rage and grief she had thrown at him and when she was finally spent he was there to take the kunai out of her hand. He helped rebuild her more than any of the doctors or therapists ever did. Ever since then the two were friends and Anko almost viewed him as her teacher in getting over betrayal. Hell she would've been his actual student, but after the fourth's death Jiraiya didn't want to take on any other students and that suited her fine because she wasn't sure if she could trust someone like that again.

He wrapped her side wound up as best he could and helped her up in a fireman's carry. They ran for twenty minutes until they stopped in a clearing where he felt safe enough to begin addressing her other wounds, namely the burns and broken wrist. The ears were far too complicated and he would have to make a stop to a trusted doctor. Jiraiya just hoped that the cheeky brat would behave herself for once.

They passed their camp that was located on the edge of the town and both ninja strained to not look at it. It would've just reminded them how they were planning on staying in the town itself, but that was rather hard when it was lacking all of its inhabitants; save for some mysterious black ops team. When they arrived, the town was just like all the villages they had investigated before, but this time there was the mystery spec-ops detachment there. They didn't even get to ask for identification before the team set upon them, using all sorts of weird jutsu's. They set down briefly at their camp so Jiraiya could summon a small toad with a blue and green coloration.

"This was a total failure of a mission, we didn't get a single scrap of information." She said with an annoyed look.

"That's not true, we got quite a bit of info. It's just that none of it was comforting or solid enough to paint the whole picture." He said as he began scribbling in a scroll.

"Whaddaya mean, 'Whole Picture?"

Jiraiya let loose a troubled sigh and gave his scroll to a small toad who then puffed away. "About five years ago, minor shinobi villages began disappearing along with those who lived in them. Places like Hoshigakure, Nadeshiko Village, wandering clans like the Fuma and more all seemed to up and vanish." Anko had known about what he was referring too, not many great villages investigated the matter, but it was still a cause for concern among the smaller shinobi villages. "The recent string of kidnappings and abductions fit the exact same pattern as these new incidents. I couldn't understand it then, but now, with the recent villages, it looks like forced recruitment."

Anko frowned at the mention. Forced recruitment was a practice done by the other villages during times of war back in the early days when their ranks began to fall. They would kidnap the entire village, teach the children how to unlock their chakra and use the adults as either workers or breeding stock. It was a disgusting practice that was done mostly by Kumogakure and Kirigakure. It was mainly why Kumo had such a large military force now and Kiri being able to kill each other without running out of citizens.

"Today, I had found out what happened to those old incidents and their inhabitants. In the group that attacked me, two were using skills found only in Nadeshiko Village and one of them was using Hoshigakure techniques. It would appear that they were drafted into someone's army. Whose army is the question, and for what reason would they be attacking villages once more?"

Anko sat in silence as she digested the newfound info and came to a sickening realization, "Orochimaru is involved." He had to be since their last prisoner had his disgusting seal.

Jiraiya nodded grimly and stood, "This doesn't bode well for anyone and I want to get back to Konoha as soon as possible to report. I've already sent the information we've gathered by toad summons, but we need to get you to a doctor and heal those ears up; after that, it's a straight shot back towards Konoha."

Anko nodded and summoned a snake of her own to bear a message to her student, telling him that she would be delayed and would take another week to get back, and that if he slacked off even a little bit she would take a few inches off his little ninja. She watched the snake slither off and got ready to move once again.

 **~~~With Kouken**

Kouken grunted as his back impacted with the ground hard enough to make him bounce slightly.

"Match!" Cried Guy in his usual enthusiastic and boisterous voice.

Kouken laid there staring at the blue sky pockmarked by a few idle clouds when a hand invaded his field of vision. Blinking, he took the hand of Lee and was pulled from his spot on the floor.

"Ufmph. Damn Lee, you sure hit hard." Kouken grimaced as he rubbed his sore back, already feeling the tightness receding. He was sure glad that he always healed fast, otherwise he would've been in that bed much longer than he was after Anko had kicked the shit out and then back into him.

"It was a good spar my youthful friend! Already, you proved to be harder to beat than yesterday's spar!" Lee said enthusiastically and flashed a pearly smile. And Lee wasn't being modest about it either, Kouken was harder to beat than yesterday's spar because the boy had memorized all the moves that Lee had used on him before. Anko had taught him with her _unique_ methods about memorizing an enemies movements and he used her lessons soundly. However the issue still laid in the fact that Lee was just so _fast!_ He had been using his weights for years and Kouken had only started yesterday; there was no possible way he would ever be able to match the boy and his style focused on speed for last second dodging. The few times he was able to land some hits back were wasted on damaging the boy's muscle in an effort to limit his outrageous speed; opposed to the lethal and crippling strikes he could've landed. Sadly, Kouken never made it long enough to get to a point where their speed was matched. So this spar ended much like the other, good effort and thinking ending with his vision going black.

"Thanks Lee. Your speed is absolutely crazy!" Kouken said with a small smile turned grimace as he rotated his arm while massaging out. The boy definitely didn't pull any punches, but Kouken took it all with grace. Well, as much grace one could when they wake up with a mouth full of dirt. Still, Kouken was a good sport about it and didn't seem to get frustrated at all. He simply got back up, reflected on the fight, and then went through his kata's again.

Team Nine and their temporary add-on continued to mill about for another thirty minutes or so before their sensei called the day to an end and everyone went their separate ways. Kouken, however, stayed in the clearing and looked up at the waning sun in the sky.

' _I'll never get better if I just quit! I need to blow Anko away with my strength when she gets back, that'll prove that I'm the only student she needs!'_ Kouken thought determinedly as he went back to his kata's with a passion that seemed to obliterate any trace of his past fatigue. He collected a bunch of leaves and stuck them to his body with chakra and continued practicing his taijutsu; starting completely over should even one of them fall. Unbeknownst to him, Might Guy stared worriedly from a branch keeping the boy company until he dropped from exhaustion and the moon had taken the sun's place in the sky.

' _This boy…Such desperation in those eyes…'_ Thought guy as he picked the sleeping pinkette and brought him to the hospital as he had no idea where the boy lived. Guy turned to stare at the face of Kouken now that he was sleeping in a bed. Most kids should look comfortable and blissful in such a state, but he just looked uncomfortable and stricken. He would continue to watch the boy and hope that whatever caused his eyes to turn so lethal one second and wild the next would pass.

 **~~~In a Dark Room…Somewhere~~~**

"Kukuku…Tell me Arashi, how did the mission go?" A sweetly putrid voice said as golden eyes glinted with unrestrained mirth in the darkness. They were completely focused on the bowing form of a masked ninja. Nothing could be discerned about the form's features save for some light purple hair peeking out from under his gray head wraps.

"Mission was completed, Orochimaru-sama. We obtained a total of six hundred bodies from the villages and towns. Of those six hundred, about 275 are children capable of using chakra. 150 are unfit for training and would become good test subjects while the rest are of all labor-fit condition." The voiced said dully with absolutely no fluctuation of human emotion present.

"Oh? Is that so? Then tell me," Orochimaru said with both a languid and dangerous tone, "Was Kabuto's report about you encountering Jiraiya and losing some men a lie?" He flashed a smile that one could almost consider victorious, if not for the fact that it was more malicious and looked as if a predator had finally cornered its prey.

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama, we did encounter Jiraiya of the Sannin and Anko Mitarashi while running a cleaner sweep. A skirmish broke out and we lost six before I gave the retreat signal. I was busy engaging Mitarashi-san, but she managed to get away with severe wounds." The masked man, now identified as Arashi, said flatly.

Orochimaru leaned back in his seat and smirked, his eyes trained on something in the past. "Hmm, in a funny way, it almost warms my heart to see she hasn't lost her edge." He let out another thoughtful sound before his eyes refocused and shone with malice. Activating a hand sign and leaning forward, he watched with deranged glee as Arashi began seizing uncontrollably while gripping his shoulder tightly.

This went on for almost a minute before Orochimaru sighed and slumped back into his seat. He released the seal and the only sound that filled the dark throne room for a time was the ragged breathing of the purple haired shinobi.

"We can't afford to have _any_ slip-ups, Arashi-kun. We are on the precipice of great change, and there are those, especially Jiraiya, who have the skills and resources to see my dream remain just that. Collect yourself, continue with the training of the others and prepare to move out once more. I am departing for Sunagakure, you and Kabuto are in charge until I return." Orochimaru said as he rose from his throne and walked past the kneeling shinobi; whether it was out of respect or pain was anyone's guess.

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama," Arashi said in a raspy voice, "Your will is my command."

 **~~~With Kouken~~~**

Kouken awoke with an annoyed grunt as sunlight danced across his face. Turning over and trying to bury his face into the pillow seemed to only agitate him further as he pushed himself up with a grunt and stared at the rising dawn. To anyone watching, it was a peaceful scene. The boy looked absolutely mesmerized by the swelling sunlight and seemed to almost radiate in its newborn glow. That scene was ruined when Kouken blew some hair out of his eyes drawing attention to the god awful bed head he had and then proceeded to make all sorts of crude noises before spitting out a loogey into a corner.

With a yawn and a stretch that popped all the bones in his back and arms, Kouken got off the bed and realized with a start that this, wherever this was, wasn't his apartment. His apartment had walls of blue and green and didn't have a window spanning the entire length of the wall next to his bed. This place had white walls and white floors. Turning around even the bed and its sheets were white.

"What the fuu.." He said with a confused tone trailing off as a cough bought his attention.

"Hello there, Kouken-kun. Sleep well?" The man said with a mirthful smile.

"Hey Doc. Yeah, no complaints 'cept for the one of how did I even get to the hospital?" Kouken said with a shrug. The other man in front of him was none other than, Inochi Yamanaka; his beloved psychiatrist.

"Apparently, you trained yourself to exhaustion and Guy-san brought you here since he didn't know where you live." He said as he took out a small notepad and pen. "I thought you didn't do those training sessions anymore, we talked about how bad they were for you."

"Yeah, but I wasn't _planning_ or _intentionally_ training myself into a coma. It just…sorta happened. I got a lot to work on and I don't want to slack off. You know the Nara's, laziness is a slippery slope." He said jokingly as he got down to the floor and began doing push-ups.

Inochi sighed and stared at him with worried eyes; this wasn't healthy behavior at all. The boy was motivated by desperation and fear and it would cause him to burn out one day. "So tell me, Kouken-kun, since we last met have you continued to have bad dreams?" He asked as he began jotting things down.

"Nah, those stopped a while ago, I suppose I got it all out of my system after, 'The Test." Kouken said with over emphasized dramatics while he continued with his push-ups.

"That's good to hear. So that means you've been sleeping better? Waking up with less fatigue?" He asked.

"Uh-huh. And before you ask, yes I am eating healthy breakfasts and brushing twice a day." Kouken said as if he was mocking a nagging mother-hen. Inochi flashed a small smile and continued to write things down meanwhile Kouken finished his set with an 'oomph' and began doing sit-ups.

"And you're training? How's that been going?"

"Fantastic!" Kouken said lively and looked ready to explode with all the things he learned. "I've learned so much with Anko-sensei! I'm three times as strong as I was before and I even learned new techniques!" Inochi frowned slightly and began writing more on his notepad.

"And Anko? Is she treating you well?" He asked concernedly.

"Pfft, Anko-sensei doesn't treat anybody well, but she's a fantastic teacher and it's not like I'm looking for a friend." Kouken said dismissively while a grunt escaped him as he finished his sit-ups.

Inochi's frown deepened and put his notepad and pen away. "But making friends is good Kouken. You don't want to be alone all the time do you? Most students are very close with their sensei." He said in a tone that almost pleaded him to agree.

"Yeah well…I'm too busy to make friends right now and I've always been alone, it's not like I'll suffer any worse than what's considered normal for me. And to be honest, I never understood that part; why would you get close with your sensei anyways? They're your teacher, not your buddy. They're there to teach you how to kill and defend your village. Friendship shouldn't even factor into the equation." Kouken said with a slight frown, confused and a bit annoyed with all these pointless questions. He got up and faced the window as he began doing squats.

Inochi's brow dipped with his lips, worry etched clearly onto his face. The boy was dismissing any attempts to make friends and practically claimed he didn't believe in Konoha's ideal of gaining strength to defend from your bonds. This type of mentality would easily lead to isolation and only worsen his phobia of fading away.

' _He's afraid of being forgotten…'_ He thought sadly as he watched the boy finish his morning stretches and turn towards him with a lively smile.

"Well Doc, as always, it's been mildly uncomfortable and the second time I've woken up to you being in the same room as me. If it happens again, no amount of promising will convince me that you're not taking swan dives into my head." He said in a light, jesting tone. He opened the window and hiked one foot onto the ledge before turning his head over his shoulder and throwing a two finger slaute.

Inochi smiled and threw one right back at him, "Wouldn't that mean that you had to believe me in the first place? Besides, something tells me that I would find your thoughts to be quite…hazardous." He earned a snort from Kouken and watched as he flew out of the window swinging on a vine. No doubt off to get some more training in. Inochi's smiling façade fell abruptly and worry was clearly presented on his face. He stared at his notepad before picking it up and standing with a sigh.

"Time to go report to Hokage-Sama…" He said as he made a two finger hand seal and vanished in a swirl of leaves.

He reappeared in front of a warm oak coloured door in a long hallway painted in equally warm colours. He lifted his hand to knock when a voice sounded out from behind the door.

"Come on in, Inochi-san." Inochi smirked and opened the door to enter the hokage's office, who was seated in his usual spot with his friend Danzou sitting on the couch and…Might Guy? Who was sitting in the chair in front of Sarutobi.

"Perfect timing, Inochi-san, am I to assume you're here with the latest therapy session with Kouken-Kun?" He asked with a smile as he clasped his hands together.

Inochi's eyes widened and shot a look towards Might Guy and the elderly mummy to his left snorted.

"Relax, Inochi-san. Guy has been updated to the situation as he is his temporary sensei and came here asking questions after he dropped the boy off at the hospital." Might Guy then turned in his seat to throw a reassuring and shining smile with his trademark thumbs up at Inochi.

The Yamanaka leader's ruffled feathers seem to smooth themselves out after that and he turned his attention back towards his hokage. "That's correct Hokage-sama."

"Then by all means," Hiruzen said with a gesture of his hand, "Take a seat and regale us."

"Kouken's progress hasn't heightened or dropped since he began his apprenticeship with Anko-san, rather he seems to be going sideways." He said with measured words, as if he was trying to find the right way to word it.

"And what does, 'sideways' mean?" Danzou asked in a dry tone while using air quotes.

Inochi looked at the man and had to reign in his disgust. Apparently the man had changed his ways and the entirety of his Root forces were drafted into the ANBU, but he couldn't get over the history of actions that came before it.

"It means that while his fears and insecurities haven't changed the boy himself isn't stagnant. The stronger he gets the further his mind distances itself from his phobia's, but it works like a double-edged sword. To be more precise it's like a rubber band." He said gaining a mixture of curious, confused, and…Danzou looks.

Sighing he held up both of his hands, one finger remaining stationary and two going away from it. "It's like this, the stronger he gets, the more confident he becomes and his phobia of fading away is abated more and more." By now the two fingers that were moving away from the one stationary finger started to shake and looked as if it was encountering resistance. "However, the progress is fueled by that fear and is tethered to it always. Should his strength prove not enough at some point then, like a rubber-band, he'll snap right back to where he originally was."

He finally collided the two fingers with the one finger and looked up to receive a mixture of understanding, concerned, and…Danzou looks once more. Damn, what is with that guy?

"The longer this goes untreated and the stronger he grows the worse the 'Snap' will be." He said as he shook his head sadly.

"Well, then all he needs is some people to look up to. To grow attached too and, with time, the desire to protect will override his fear and become his reason to grow stronger." Hiruzen said calmly, happy that the solution is so simple.

"That would be the case, but Kouken _has_ no bonds. He's been alone his entire life and since he made it this far he doesn't see any need for bonds now. He shows no interest in forming any bonds and with being an orphan, graduating a year early, and being in the reserve forces for three years he has nobody to form a bond with." Inochi replied with a shake of his head.

"Well what about his sensei? Surely, there's a bond to be made there!" Guy said enthusiastically while Hiruzen and Danzou shared a look. Inochi stared at the two of them before looking towards Guy.

"Anko is in a harsh spot. Becoming a sensei is drudging up a lot of bad memories and it's quite likely that she treats him as an assignment rather than as her student. I've spoken with Kouken about his sensei and he made it clear that he only viewed her as a teacher of the shinobi arts, and only that." Inochi ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes, huffing out a small breath in frustration. "The only way for a bond to be formed, which is critical, is if Anko initiates it while Kouken is in a moment of extreme weakness."

The silence of the room was pensive. Everyone absorbed in their own thoughts, all trying to find some form of a solution. Guy had his lips pursed and was staring at his arms, Hiruzen was taking small drags from his smoking pipe and stared at the ceiling. Danzou, well he was doing Danzou shit. The silence was broken by Inochi once more, intent on delivering the only good news he had.

"There is good news, however," He said gaining everyone's attention before continuing, "He's not afraid to die."

"I beg your pardon?" Hiruzen said blinking dumbly.

"Orochimaru was terrified of death. It was that fear that drove him to insanity and to the depths of depravity we all know he's made his den in. Kouken, however, is afraid of ' _Fading Away_." Inochi said with emphasis as if it explained everything. "The boy is afraid of being forgotten, he wants to be remembered; for forever most likely. He's already demonstrated that he's not shy of death, and will charge head-long into it if it means being remembered forever."

"…So you're saying he's suicidal." Guy said slowly as if he was trying to grasp the situation.

Inochi shook his head, "Not suicidal, but like many of us here, he places an ideal or dream above the worth of his own life."

"I've seen shinobi do that before, we all have, and I can say that it never looks like that. Never so desperate and wild." Guy said firmly, with a disbelieving voice.

"Yes…he definitely has a ferocious side. Anyways, that's all my sessions was able to garner. I recommend him for more meetings, and a talk with Anko about the road he's facing." Inochi said rising from his seat. "By your leave Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen waved him away and went back to smoking his pipe, digesting all the information and planning what to do next. "What's your opinion of the boy, Guy?" He asked curiously.

"A promising shinobi for sure. I've only seen his taijutsu, but with each spar with Lee he gets closer to beating him. It's as if he learns in leaps and bounds while everyone else is moving at a crawl. I've never seen somebody pick things up as quickly as he does. His work ethic is nothing short of hazardous and if he wasn't so resilient then I'm sure he would've killed himself already." Guy said in a serious tone. It sounded like all good things, but everyone could hear the 'but' coming. "…But, it's those eyes. During spars they become so cold, so focused and lifeless. Just before he thinks he's won they completely blaze alive, wild and almost gleeful. Then when he's faced with a loss or training they're…so desperate. As if his soul depended on it."

Danzou harumph'd and spoke, "Hirzuen, who cares what his eyes look like? He could have the damn Rinnegan for all I care, he's still an aspiring shinobi with a bright future. I've heard enough of this and I hope you have too." He speared his old friend with a stare that didn't waver until he nodded. Danzou sighed and pushed himself off the couch with his cane and exited the office.

"Are we still on for tonight or did the retirement home give you a curfew?" Sarutobi called out after his friend and only got a grunt in return. Chuckling he turned back to Guy who still looked troubled. "Guy…I just received word that Anko will be delayed for another week. You'll be his sensei for an extra week, be good to him. You heard Inochi; he needs a friend, not a teacher."

Guy still had a troubled look in his eye and nodded hesitantly. He had a bad feeling about this boy; that he would be another Itachi, but somehow worse. He shuddered at the gut feeling, how could a boy be worse than someone who murdered their entire clan in a single night and psychologically tortured their little brother?

" Ha HA! Of course Hokage-Sama!" He said robustly and shot to his feet, "I will fan the flames of his youth to a raging inferno!" He then flashed his trademark pose and was dismissed before it got any worse.

Hiruzen could faintly hear what he would do if he failed in this task even as he left the building and was in the streets. Shaking his head, he pushed his chair back and a small toad, the very same that Jiraiya had summoned a day prior, hopped out from under the desk.

"Did you get all that Gamaichi?" He asked as the toad began rolling up a scroll.

"Yeah," He said while nodding, "Although, I wish I hadn't. This kid sounds like bad news that could easily be nipped in the bud before he actually becomes news. Anyways, I'm off!" And with that, the toad exploded in a puff of white smoke.

Hiruzen sighed and leaned back into his chair. Everything about this boy was a mess, but none of them could predict if he was truly a bad fruit. Hiruzen wanted so desperately to believe that things would end for the better and he could save him where he had failed with Orochimaru. And yet, every time he closed his eyes he was greeted with the sight of bursting into that lab where he was finally faced with all the horrors his favorite student had committed…

 **With Kouken**

Kouken landed in front of his apartment door and searched for his keys.

"Hey there honey. Looking for a good time?" Said a sultry voice to his right and he was greeted with one of the local working girls of the RDL.

Turning his head over his shoulder he stared at the sun in the sky and then back at her. "No, I'm looking for my keys; besides, isn't it a little early for this? It's like eight in the morning." He said with a somewhat mean tone that clearly offended the girl. She scoffed and pushed off the door and walked away, disappearing from view. Why the hell was there always a prostitute outside whenever he comes and goes?

Finding his keys and entering his apartment he kicked off his sandals and went to his kitchen. He pulled a bottle of water out of his fridge and greedily emptied it of its refreshing contents. Deciding that he ought to get a quick breakfast in before he had to meet with Team Nine he decided on having a bowl of oats. Moving to a cabinet that was by his head he opened it and his back snapped backwards like bullet.

"WOAH! WHAT THE BLOODY FUCK?!" He screamed as he had the wriggling body of a tiny brown snake in his fist just inches from his face. It stopped snapping his fangs at him and slowly opened its jaws and pushed out a scroll.

Kouken looked at the scroll that was coated in juices with disgust before taking it and pulling the rest of it out. Looking at it and holding it away from him he groaned.

"Awww man! It's dripping onto the floor!" He complained before a sharp pain in his other hand had caused him to bark out a curse. Shaking his hand he saw the slithery twat had bit him and was already halfway out of the mail slot in the door. He could've sworn that it's hissing sounded like laughter…

Throwing a dish towel onto the kitchen table he laid and scroll out and began reading it.

 _Hey Brat,_

 _Mission is gonna take longer than I thought. Delayed for another week. Slack off and I cut inches off. You know where._

 _-Anko_

"Well…works fine for me, more time to practice with Lee." He said completely unconcerned about how succinct the message was compared to the letter she left for him back in training ground 44. He truly didn't care how he was treated by her, so long as she continued to produce results in him as a teacher.

Taking a whiff of himself he realized he hadn't showered since yesterday and decided that his hygiene was more important than his breakfast. Hopping quickly into the shower and exiting almost as quick, Kouken came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

After putting on some pants Kouken began preparing his breakfast. Placing a kettle on the stove for tea and stirring his oats he had a few minutes to kill. Deciding to go through his project book notes for a bit he was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Gotta be fucking kidding me." He grumbled as he went to the door and opened it slightly to be greeted by a decrepit fossil of a man. He had a balding head with wisps of white hair like a crown with an equally white beard reaching his knees. His eyes seemed perpetually closed and his white, bushy eyebrows that hung down his face slightly didn't help his case. He wore a simple yakuta and had a knobby cane with a gnarled head.

"….Yeah?" He asked after a moment of silence grew between them.

The old man chuckled and spoke with a raspy tone, "The ladies said you were rude; I suppose it's to be expected when one grow's up an orphan." He said with a sigh and appeared completely oblivious to the narrowing of Kouken's eyes.

"Oh yeah? Then why don't you leave before I show you just how rude an orphan can be." Kouken said as he felt anger bubble through him.

"Come now, you're a shinobi and you're allowing an old man to get you riled up? The wind could blow me over and show these fragile bones the same type of kindness you're offering me." The man said as he waved his hands. "May I come in? It's getting rather old talking to you through the crack of the door, usually that's a move from those that are of my age."

Kouken's anger abated somewhat as he knew the old man was right, he opened the door wider and stood in the doorframe with his hand blocking the rest of the way. "And why, pray tell, would I do that?" He asked with a dry and arrogant tone.

"Because I have a proposition for you Izoumaru-san. The ladies tell me you're exactly the kind of man we're looking for." He said as if that explained the whole situation.

"What ladies?"

"I suppose you'll find out if you allow me in."

"…Fine." Kouken said as he flicked his head over his shoulder to motion the old man to follow him. He led him to his kitchen and went back to managing his breakfast and tea.

"Is that chai tea? Oh, I'll have a cup if you don't mind." The man said in a warm tone despite his voice's natural gravelly nature.

Kouken sighed and pulled another cup from his cabinet and poured both him and the old man a cup. They sat there in silence as the man sipped his tea while Kouken just sat there, across from him, staring expectantly.

Just when he was about to break the silence the old man spoke.

"Such a fine flavor, chai tea is; wouldn't you agree?" He may've spoken finally, but all that was coming out was small talk. Kouken didn't have the time or patience for it.

"Hmm," he said as he took a sip of his own tea, "So, what ladies are you talking about? What proposition is this?"

"Straight to the point eh?" a gravelly tone asked with a chuckle and got a hard stare in response. "Fine," he sighed, "You kids nowadays can never appreciate anything but directness. Makes me wonder how this village hasn't succumbed to subterfuge already… Have you ever wondered why you neighbors were always women?" He asked openly.

"You mean whores? Yeah, no. I tend not to think much of them." He answered rudely.

"Please, they're working women, with a job no less dishonorable than your own. Perhaps even more so since they don't make widows and orphans, eh?" Again with a hard stare, this time, however, the man didn't seem inclined to go further until Kouken played his game.

"Fine… Why is it that my neighbors are always _working women_?" He asked with a distasteful tone.

"Simple, they work for me and I have them watch you."

"And what does a pimp want from me?"

"I assure you I am nothing of the sort, I merely provide them with clothes, food, and a shelter while they bring back any nice bits of gossip." He paused to take a sip of his tea. "I daresay I'm the only man in the RDL that cares about them when I'm not their customer."

"Empathy isn't to be found in the RDL. Everyone knows that; now, what do you and your strays want with me?" Kouken asked with thinning patience and once more a silence was created, interrupted only by the periodic sipping of tea.

"Perhaps, but imagine my surprise when I begin hearing of a young man thrashing those that treat my girls poorly. Two people caring about someone other than themselves makes empathy in the RDL _rare,_ not absent." He said knowingly and looked at him through squinted eyes. Kouken couldn't even see his eyes, but he knew the man was appraising him; studying him. He also knew whom he was referring too. He hadn't heard of any other kid beating up assholes in the RDL ever since he started two years ago.

"I don't do it to protect or avenge them. I do it so I can get some bloody sleep and steal their money." Kouken said with snort as he took another drag from his cup.

"Perhaps…but the motivation is irrelevant when the results are preferable. I had my girls work around you apartment so they may come under your protection and garner some more info. I have to say, you clean the streets quite well in that area. Crime was almost as existent as an ANBU detachment in the RDL." Kouken let loose a snort, that was a rather round-about and humorous way to say, "Non-existent." The man smiled at the boy seeing his joke and continued, "But you also cleaned the market stalls too, didn't you?"

Immediately, all the effort to build the somewhat light air to the meeting vanished and was replaced with a hard edge that could also be found in Kouken's eyes. Slowly he began fingering for the kunai he had tapped under the table. "I assure you, I have no idea what you're talking about, _old man._ " He said with a forced tone. This man knew he had beaten up thugs, mugged them, and stole from markets and if it got out then he could lose his position in the shinobi force. He didn't want to hurt an old man, but he would be damned if he got this far only to fade away by some fucker with one foot and a cane already in the grave.

The man continued to sip his tea as if he was oblivious to what was about to happen. "And I can assure _you_ that the kunai under this table is wholly unnecessary."

Perhaps he wasn't so oblivious. Kouken sat straighter and tossed all stealth out the window. He tore the kunai from under the table and stabbed it into the wood by his cup.

"Get to the proposition already, my patience is as thin as your hair." He said with a snarl and dangerous edge in his eye.

The man looked at him briefly before setting down his cup and clasping his hands. "You're jokes are quite accurate. I am, indeed, old and withered. I have lived in Konoha my entire life and was here even when it was barely anything other than a collection of camps and a wall. I had lived in what is now, the Red Light District, my entire life and have watched it go from an area of promise to a den of _filth_." For the first time since their meeting, a tone other than warm, joking, or airy came from the man. It was disgust, the same kind he had heard from Anko when he failed so spectacularly. It also had a slight forlorn tone to it, but, at the time, Kouken never would've been able to spot it.

"My life is drawing to a close, and as I get closer to my final destination I can't help but feel shame about where I'm departing from. Kids that grew up around here in my time went on to become successful merchants, tailors, and shinobi. They led happy lives. Now I see kids growing up and they have only four fates; whore, gangbanger, shinobi, or dead." He sighed and his anger seemed to leave him, sapping him of his energy on its way out and sagging his shoulders. "You were lucky, you made it to shinobi status, and just barely if I heard correctly. But even then you can end up dead just as surely as some child who is already rotting away in a gutter not far from here." Kouken continued to stare at him but his hand fell from the hilt of his kunai. He didn't see the old man as a threat anymore, but that didn't mean he was ready to tape the blade back under the table just yet.

"I want to see this place restored to what it once was. Nobody may be able to remember how prosperous the RDL used to be, but I do. I want to be able to leave this place, my home, with it matching the same vision it did in my youth. I want to restore this area to a place that provides more than just four fates to a kid unlucky enough to be stuck here. And to do that I need two things: A cleaner and a source of hope." He leaned forward and appeared to finally get to the part of the proposition, or at least where Kouken comes into it.

"That's a nice dream you got there, but I fail to see how I fit into all this; much less if I wanna." Kouken said for the first time since he began his whole speech.

"As did I…until I got word of your raid on that opium den a while back." He paused as Kouken's hand drifted back towards the kunai and he continued, "I merely thought you as some kid who was bashing thugs for precisely the reason you gave me, and that although it was fortunate for my girls, I wouldn't be able to expect any more from you. But, you surprised me yet again. For whatever your reasons were for raiding that disgusting place, as I'm sure they weren't as noble as the deed itself, the results were still favorable."

Kouken tilted his head in confusion as he couldn't recall doing anything noble during it or anything noble-like happening because of it.

"You destroyed all the supplies there, ran off the local gang running it, as well as, causing the leader to flee right into another gang's territory and getting killed. That gang was called the _Giniro Kishu,_ Silver Riders, and ran the drug running and fencing for this area. That place used to be an orphanage run by a friend of mine, but they killed him and turned the children into drug runners. With their presence gone, I was able to move my own men in and finally create a block controlled and protected by good people." Kouken leaned back in his seat in surprise… he did all that? Wait…he caused the death of a gang leader?

'… _Shouldn't I feel disgusted with myself? I mean, he's dead because of me… Maybe it's because he was a scumbag and I didn't do it personally? Meh, oh well.'_ He thought before a question prompted him to speak.

"Wait…What men?" He asked suspiciously. This was starting to sound like he helped a gang climb the ladder.

"If it was just an old man, his dream, and the gossip of his girls then not much would get done; thankfully, it's not just that. There are people who wish to see this place cleaned and restored and we've banded together to accomplish it. I would've came to you sooner, but you were always gone and there was work to be done. Go ahead, look outside the window and tell me what you see." He said and flicked his head to the window behind Kouken, just above his sink.

Kouken looked at the window, then back at the man before rising slowly from his seat, never taking his eyes off the man and yanked the kunai out of the table. Walking to the window he saw merchants in the street as always, people coming and going…and children playing?

He walked briskly from the kitchen and out the front door to look out over the street. He had purchased this apartment in the nicer part of the RDL, but **never** was there a part nice enough to have kids playing so freely in the streets as they were now. On closer inspection even the people were smiling and happy. Far from the usual flighty and rough crowd that he was use too; the crowd that watched him kick the shit outta those thugs a while back was considered the normal behavior.

The man walked up next to him, leaning on his cane and smiling. "Because of you, we were finally able to take back a part of our homes. We ran out the rest of the _Giniro Kishu_ and subsidized all of their assets. We gave back the businesses to whom they belonged too and used their ill-gotten gains to fund the restoration you see now."

Kouken couldn't believe his fucking eyes. **KIDS** were **PLAYING** in the goddamn **STREET!** And the parents weren't even the least bit worried of getting mugged or their kids beaten. He was gone for nearly two months and this place looked like the nicer districts. You could hear the laughter and amicable sounds one would find anywhere else in Konoha.

"You caused this, and with your help we can do more. You can be the one to clean the streets and be a source of hope for the kids growing up here, that they have a chance to live a life outside of being a thug or a prostitute." He said in a tone that held a fire which burned hotter than what his years led on.

Kouken gripped the rail and took in the sight, except his mind was past the surprise and now focused on the offer. "My neighborhood is nice now, what do I care of the ones surrounding me? I've got a career to focus on and I don't see how being the patron saint of the broken and the damned is gonna help me. You said this was a proposition, well where's the part that motivates my cooperation?" He asked shrewdly; sure he could save the lives of the people and his neighborhood, but he had his own things to deal with. The people in his neighborhood were happy now, so he considered his part done.

"You said it yourself, the ones that matter now are the ones surrounding this one. We are a beacon of light, prosperity, and order surrounded by dark streets run by circling sharks. We ran off one gang and disrupted the power balance, despite the Rider's low-leveled ranking. Soon the darkness will seep back into the cracks and this place will decay like all the others. The proposition, or at least, the 'Motivation', as you put it, would naturally be the feeling of doing something good."

Kouken stared at the man with a blank look. This was utterly disappointing in his opinion; he wanted to help, but old habits die hard and the RDL taught him to never help unless he's getting something back. Pushing off the railing and heading back to his kitchen he bid the elderly man a good day.

"But since I know who I'm dealing with, there is another reward I have in mind." The man said, stopping Kouken in his tracks. Although their backs were to each other the old man knew he had his attention. "Going back to the fact that I knew your shopping habits, and what catches your eye, I can promise that as a reward…You're a shinobi and you're only interested in obscure techniques and jutsu scrolls. I am old and have garnered quite a few connections in my time, I can ensure that you'll see far more than the odd scroll once every year or so."

Kouken knew that the matter was already settled, and he knew that the old man knew too. There was no reason to say no…so why was he hesitating? _'Maybe he's bluffing and won't deliver after I've done some more of his cleaning work. No…this man is serious, he's about to die and fucking with me would do nothing for him. Chances are, if this works out, I'll be around long after he will and screwing me over would screw everyone else. Just say yes already!'_ Kouken's raging mind bleed turbulent eyes. He had no reason to be saying no, but he couldn't find the reason as to why he wasn't saying yes.

The man sighed and turned around, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder which caused him to flinch from his internal thoughts and look up at the man. "This world has taught you to only look out for yourself because you grew up all on your own. In a perfect world you wouldn't be an orphan and struggling as hard as you had just to keep your head above the water…You wouldn't be struggling so hard with saying, "yes," to doing a good deed and I wouldn't have had to come here with this proposal. But we don't live in a perfect world. The world we live in is as fickle and malleable as the people who live in it, and it'll never be perfect because we are imperfect creatures. But when one person does the right thing, even a single tiny thing, then the world becomes that much better," he turned him and Kouken back towards the sight of the bustling street and swept his arm out, "this is what happens when somebody does the right thing."

Kouken took in the sight and felt the words of the old man resonate within him. It struck a chord in him that, until then, was completely absent throughout his life. It made him uncomfortable…vulnerable, like he was opening himself up to an attack simply because he wanted to believe in something other than himself. He shirked his shoulder away from the man's grip and turned back towards his apartment.

"I'll help, but if you don't deliver on your promise, I'll make damn sure your dream dies before you do." And with that, he closed the door between them. He waited, hearing the clack of the man's cane getting fainter before he sighed and slid to the floor with his back against the door.

' _You're getting weak, Kouken…You let some old man talk you into being a saint when you could be training to become a better shinobi… No, it was the Jutsu's that made me say yes. I'll become a stronger shinobi with them and all I need to do is bash some stupid gangbangers head's in. This will fast track my progress.'_ Kouken stared at his hands before realizing he was still shirtless. He was still shirtless because he was supposed to be eating a quick breakfast. He was supposed to be eating a quick breakfast because he..had…training…

"SHIT! FUCK! OW!" He shouted in panic as he scrambled from his seat on the floor to his room, knocking over numerous things in the process. He quickly dressed and grabbed some ration bars to eat on the run and jumped out his window, vine-whipping as fast as possible in an effort to not be late.

He was afraid of what two training nuts like Guy and Lee do when someone is late.


	7. Chapter 7: The Silence of Failure

**Chapter Seven: Failure is a Silence Louder than Words**

Jiraiya sighed as a loud crash and angry shouts came from the small motel behind him.

"You drunk hag! Get the fuck away from nurse ratchet! SHIZUNE! SHE'S TRYING TO MUTILATE MEEEEEE!" One voice screamed.

"You cheeky fucking brat! Who the hell are you calling a hag?! SIT FUCKING STILL!" Screamed the other, obviously belonging to Tsunade.

"I am sitting still, you're so smashed it's your vision that's spinning! SHIZUNE DON'T LET HER DO THIS TO ME!"

"FINE THEN! SHIZUNE! GET IN HERE AND HEAL THE BITCH!" And then the slamming of a door was heard, followed by angered footfalls heading his way. Jiraiya winced at the potential harm coming his way and let his casual goofy face hide the fear.

"Tsunade!" He said joyously as she stomped towards him. "How've ya bee-"

"Shut it Jiraiya! You're paying for drinks!" She snarled and dragged him into the street by the collar completely uncaring of the stares being sent her way. The two walked-and dragged- in silence as Jiraiya stared up at her back with a small smile on his face. Not the lewd kind and he wasn't staring at her back in a lewd manner either; he was looking at how her ponytails bounced and swayed against her back. It's been far too long since he's seen her and his feelings for her haven't diminished a bit. Their walk came to an end as she tossed him inside a bar and he crashed into the counter.

Clambering onto the stool and ordering some sake for them Jiraiya sent his teammate a large smile. "It's good to see you again, Tsunade. I even brought your favorite patient along, thought you could use another friendly and familiar face."

"Oh? That was your reasoning? And here I thought you brought her just to annoy the shit outta me." She said with a dry tone and eye roll.

"But that's my job!" Jiraiya said childishly, acting as if he'd been stabbed through the heart. A comfortable silence fell between them as they drank their drinks, enjoying the feeling of the warm nights that were all too common within the Land of Fire.

"She was banged up pretty bad, Jiraiya. She may be annoying as hell, but that doesn't mean she's not strong. What happened?" Tsunade asked in a tone that betrayed her mask of indifference. Like Jiraiya, she had a soft spot for the brat and even though the two would rather shout at each other than act friendly she still cared about her wellbeing.

"It was an information gathering mission. Sensei had a bad feeling about the recent string of disappearances in the Land of Rice and Tea so he sent us to investigate. Originally, all we found were ghost towns, deprived of both evidence and people. But then we got lucky," he paused to take a sip of his drink, "We managed to find some lunatic with a cursed seal at one of the sites." He saw her grip her cup tighter from the corner of her eye and felt a pang of sadness at the disgust that flooded her face. Where did things go so wrong? Was this the destined outcome for their team and friendship?

"We couldn't get any information out of the guy, what with his seal causing him to foam at the mouth, but we were able to confirm that whatever was going on had Orochimaru's name on it. Then we traveled to the next town and were attack by a detachment of ANBU leveled ninja's. The town was completely empty too, and they looked like they were cleaning up any evidence. Anko took on one of them, presumably the leader, while I fought the others." He said and raised his cup to his lips but was halted by her teammate asking a question.

"What's happening Jiraiya?" She asked simply. It was a rather straightforward question, something that should've been easy to answer; however, the two of them didn't make it through two wars and reach S-rank status by being ignorant. She knew that something was stirring in the shadows, and something told her that shinning a light on it wouldn't make her feel any better.

"I don't know Tsu-hime…Sarutobi-sensei has a bad feeling about this and so do I. Whatever's going on, make sure to stay near Konoha for the time being." He said and returned to drinking their drinks.

Tsunade stared hard into her nearly empty cup. She didn't like being near Konoha, but she was still a doctor, sworn to save as many as she possibly can. She would stay by to help all those that would undoubtedly suffer because of Konoha's fame, but sometimes she wished she had passed on already…

"So did you hear? Anko's got a student." Jiraiya said slyly, piercing the somber silence and filling Tsunade's eyes with life.

She grabbed two bottles of sake from the counter and placed them in between them. Filling up both their cups and flashing her old teammate a gossipy smile she spoke, "Tell me _everything._ "

 **With Kouken**

Kouken's cheek rested snugly in his palm as he stared boredly out of a window. The sky was painted in glorious hues of pink, orange, and red and normally at this time he would've been training or watching the sunset, but Guy had other ideas.

After the day he spoke to the old man, whom he had yet to actually meet with and finalize their agreement, Guy had taken to bringing them to a restaurant after training. At first Kouken wasn't worried, he could politely decline and if that didn't work he could've gone with them and escape out the bathroom window. He didn't want to waste his time here with the fuck around gang when he could spend it training. He _needed_ to get stronger before Anko came back from her mission. He had been neglecting his ninjutsu training in hopes that his progress in tai would blow her away. Thankfully, he hadn't stopped any of his readings and was able to continue with all his side projects. But clearly his escape plans failed him; and the bathroom one did rather awkwardly….

 _'I'm never going to the bathroom with Guy and Lee again…'_ Kouken thought with a shudder.

He was brought out of his musings when Guy's boisterous voice grabbed his attention.

"KOUKEN! Tell me, how do you find your flames of youth burning since working with us?!" He asked enthusiastically while his clone nodded fervently with bulging cheeks filled with food.

Kouken sighed and rolled his eyes, "With the intensity of a Katon jutsu from an Uchiha, Guy-sempai." His dry tone went completely over the two nut job's heads and they burst into cheers while their only _normal_ member snickered into her hand.

She leaned over and whispered into his ear, breath unintentionally hot on his neck, "Say what you will about them, but you gotta admit that it's never dull with them around."

Kouken's back snapped a little straighter at the invasion of space and he turned slightly to see her eyes closely staring at him waiting for a response. "Hah! With your obsession for anything sharp and pointy I could just spend time with you and it would never be, "dull," as you put it." He said with air quotes and a bland look covering his face.

At first Tenten didn't get the joke before she made the connection from dull to her pointy beauties and snorted. It was hard at first to grasp his sense of humor, he was always so dry and sarcastic. He could've easily passed off as an asshole to someone who didn't know him as well, but he was rather funny. The four of them began going to dinner together every day after training and got along real well. Guy had convinced Kouken that this was part of his training and after catching him from running away a few times he accepted it begrudgingly. Even Neji wouldn't agree to this and Guy never pressed the issue; at least not as hard as he did with Kouken.

She secretly enjoyed it; it was always so lonely at home. She was an orphan and besides her teammates she had nobody to socialize with. She knew that Kouken was an orphan too, in the Academy she wanted to make a friend out of him, but he passed her class by and advanced into the older groups. Now, she had a chance to make a friend like her. Of course, Lee was an orphan too, but she couldn't see herself hanging out with him like she probably could with Kouken simply because the boy was always hanging around Guy-sensei.

When it was time to bid everyone goodnight Kouken let loose a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Relaxing with them was always oddly hard for him. Sitting still when he could've been training always made him feel uncomfortable under his skin, but he doubted that he could've gotten much training done anyways. Three days had passed since the Old Man came to him with his offer and he had yet to seek him out. Hell, he didn't even know _how_ to find him…

 _'I suppose I could always ask my neighbors; he did say they work for him…'_ Kouken thought as he hopped from roof to roof towards his home. He wondered how his sensei was doing and how surprised she'll be when they spar again. After training with her his speed and strength was equal to that of him before becoming her student with _Ninpo: Goriki_ activated. He hadn't taken his weights off at all and had been using a lot of herbal remedies to speed up the restoration and strengthening of muscles. He was tempted to take them off now and turn on his strength multiplier technique just to see how strong and fast he was, but always managed to convince himself to wait. Needless to say, he was definitely excited to see his progress.

Speaking of progress, a frown marred his features as he went over his spars with Lee. He's lost every one and felt no closer to wining; his speed and strength was simply too much for him to beat. He doubted he would by the end of this week and frustration at not being able to use chakra began to set in. Of course, his next thought would be that he couldn't use chakra as a crutch and if he increased his body's strength then when he finally did use chakra he would be that much better.

Landing in front of his door he went to open it and paused just inches from the doorknob. He stood there thinking before walking to the door by his left. Sucking in a breath he knocked twice.

No answer.

Frowning he waited outside for another minute and a half before raising his fist to knock again when the door swung open revealing the same working girl from days prior.

"Damn, and here I thought I could keep you out there for at least a few more minutes. You shinobi aren't a patient lot are ya?" She asked as she draped her body over the door frame.

Kouken's eyes gravitated to her barely clothed form and he couldn't help but fight the blush forming on his face. The working girl saw this and a predatory smirk graced her face.

"Ohhh? Finally interested huh? Well I think we could do some things for free…If you ask me _nicely…_ " She said sultrily and leaned forward giving him a more exposed view.

 _'Those…are…_ _nice._ _'_ He thought in his head, or rather, in his other head. Eyes flicking back to her face and seeing that predatory smirk caused his sensei to flash before his eyes and like the ice cold water she used to wake him from his sleeping, he snapped to reality. His face returned to its usual bored and somehow sarcastic expression.

"Actually, I was thinking if I ask nicely you could point me in the direction of your boss?" He said with a dry, flat tone.

The hooker frowned and leaned back against the door frame, folding her arms and checking her nails. "A bit disappointing you're into old men there brat, I could've shown you the wonders of this world."

"Do those… _wonders_ happen to include every known, and probably some unknown, strand of viral diseases?" He asked showing his razor sharp wit. The hooker snorted and feigned a surprised voice.

"Ooooh someone's a smarty pants; doubt you'll ever figure out how to get someone into those pants of yours though." She replied smarmily to which Kouken rolled his eyes.

"Please, it seems like a mystery to you only because that's just how I want it to stay." He said growing tired of this pointless banter. The gleam in her eye returned and she leaned across the doorframe, invading his personal space and pulling him into a compromising embrace.

"Aren't girls attracted to a mystery?" She said obviously enjoying the discomfort the boy was experiencing. Kouken never interacted much with people physically, other than sparring with them of course. Hell the only reason he bothered to interact with them socially is because he realized early on that one could gain an edge on them just by knowing them; that and he had to if he wanted to become a shinobi. His sensei was probably the only person alive to get the most consecutive words out of him in a conversation…if an illegible, ram shackled string of profanity can count as a conversation.

He schooled his features into cool indifference and push himself from her embrace. Staring blankly at her which caused her smile to fall and a shiver to creep up her form he spoke with a hauntingly empty tone of voice, "I grow tired of these games. Where can I find him?"

She looked around as if to check if anyone was watching when in reality she probably just wanted to stop looking at his blank features. Turning back to the boy she stepped out and flicked her head to follow her. Curtly she turned around and they began walking in silence.

 _'Fucking shinobi. Kids only fourteen years old and he already scares the piss outta me. The fuck do they do to them?'_ She wondered with disgusted curiosity. The walk was short, considering how little of territory they were able to take back from the RDL and arrived to the same back alley where he had flushed out those opium assholes earlier.

Opening the door to reveal a bustling and revamped interior, Kouken saw people of all creeds walking around organizing and distributing foods/supplies. The place looked like a community and help center now and as they passed down the hallways Kouken was subjected to stares and hushed whispers.

"Think that's him?"

"No way, he's too young!"

"Well they did say he had pink hair, do _you_ know anyone else with pink hair?" That was just one of the conversations he heard and the rest were along the same lines. The people here stared at him in a way he wasn't use too, and it made him want to crawl inside himself.

"People aren't use to heroes here; you did a good thing and many of them are still waiting for the catch." The hooker said as she led him to the office he once broke into months prior. She paused for a moment and chanced a stare at him, relieved to see his face was back to the more human looking version. "I don't know if there is a catch with you, or if you worked something out with Jiji, but…thank you." And with that she walked curtly back into the throng of people.

It took him by surprise but the fact that she looked as awkward saying that as he felt hearing it made him smile slightly. It was funny to him seeing a hooker struggle to find the right thing to say; perhaps if she spent less time putting things into her mouth she would be more articulate. Kouken snorted at his own joke and knocked on the door.

"Come on in." Said a gravelly voice.

Kouken strode in to find him sitting on a traditional mat with a paper and ink well's in front of him. A brush was moving slowly and carefully across the massive sheet of paper and whatever he was doing would obviously take him a while. He motioned for him to take a seat opposite from him and Kouken did just that. Falling to his ass rather unceremoniously and sitting criss-cross Kouken propped his elbow on his knee and buried his cheek into his palm.

Without looking up or deviating from his brush-strokes he spoke, "You know, to sit so carelessly is rather rude to the host. It shows you don't want to put the time in to present yourself admirably because you do not care of what the other person thinks of you- "

"I don't." Kouken said curtly, interrupting the man mid-sentence. Still the man didn't look up from his paper and spoke after a small silence.

"It means that since you do not care of the person and their opinion you do not respect them. Interrupting them is quite a transgression of manners too." His gravelly tone of voice began to grate on Kouken already; when the man spoke in such a relaxed tone of voice it filled his ears like literal gravel. However, he wouldn't say anything of it. He would wait and hear the man out.

His waiting turned out to be longer than he expected because the silence stretched from what was seconds into minutes. After nearly seven minutes of it Kouken looked ready to blow.

"I fail to understand why you are getting so distressed. All I am waiting for is an apology, my boy." The man said simply. Kouken's eye began to twitch sporadically. After another moment of silence Kouken's grinding of teeth was audible.

"I'm _sorry…_ " He grounded out forcibly.

"And I'm sorry it caused you that much physical harm to say that." The elderly man replied with a chuckle. He set his brush down and began pouring some tea for the both of them. After letting it cool briefly he handed the boy a cup and saw him analyze it critically.

"My, my…expecting this old man who sought out your help to poison you? My you are a paranoid lot," he said referring to shinobi before sighing, "I suppose you have to be, otherwise the treachery of man would be more lethal than your jutsu's. However, your manners are atrocious, we'll have to work on that."

"I doubt you asked for my help for my manners." Kouken replied dryly and sipped the tea only after the man in front of him did.

"Oh, on the contrary, my friend. I asked for your help specifically for your manners; or at least your lack thereof. You'll be our…negotiator with the surrounding gangs, I'm sure you'll be quite persuasive." He said carefully, measuring his words so that each of them carried a clear message.

Kouken stared hard at the man, analyzing him as he would a mark that he was planning on stealing. "Where's my proof of your end of the bargain?" He asked skeptically.

The old man simply waved his hand to a glossy and richly coloured wooden box that sat to the side near his brushes. Kouken looked at the box, then at the man, and finally back to the box. Reaching forward slowly, again never taking his eyes off the old man he dragged the box before him. Taking the time to admire the craftsmanship of the box which was odd for him he ran a hand across the smooth top. It looked old, yet the wood seemed so… _vibrant_. Like it held a vitality one wouldn't expect of what seemed to be a family heirloom. The box had intricate carvings on the sides and tops of what appeared to be a massive tree, with its roots stretching so far down one couldn't discern where they ended and the canopy of the tree began. A chuckle snapped him from his revere.

"So you throw all manners to the wind and appear as crude as a thug yet when faced with a box you stop to admire its qualities. Quite the conundrum you are." Kouken threw the man a slight scowl and opened the box to reveal two scrolls sitting upon soft fabrics.

Taking the scrolls out and putting the box back between them his eyes flicked over their titles quickly. One read, _Ototon: Bakufuu Weebu,_ and the other, _Ototon: Inin Kooru._ Sound release Blast Wave and Reverberating Call? He never heard of any Sound release and that made him giddy. These puppies would do just fine. Putting them away in his back pouch he sat up straighter and assumed a more serious look.

"How can I help?" He asked with a tone of professionalism that made the old man smile.

"We need to solidify our hold on this area. To do that, you need to…encourage the remaining high ranking members of the Rider's to leave. Fortunately, the gang was rather small and we did some thorough cleaning. You only have three targets." He threw him a folder which Kouken caught and looked inside. Pictures of the three targets, one of which he met before. That cocky smile and chipped front teeth, a present from their last meeting, Kouken realized one of his targets was the thug he beat down way back when the ANBU collected him. The other two were unfamiliar.

Flipping the pictures over he saw that each of them in blue ink had the locations these were taken and where they frequent at what times. The two unfamiliar ones would have to wait till tomorrow it seemed because they frequent a bar on the edges of the neighborhood around seven. Even though it was well past seven and they probably would still be there, Kouken wanted to pay his old friend a visit instead. Apparently the man's name was Kuroii and he would be around the working girls area of his old apartment in the next hour.

"Consider it done. I'll take care of the other two tomorrow and this "Kuroii" tonight." He put the pictures back into the envelope and rose from his sitting position.

"I leave it to your discretion." The old man replied and went back to sipping his tea. Kouken exited the place after that and went back to his apartment.

He had at least two hours to kill before the guy showed up so he figured he would read over the scrolls in the meantime. Arriving home and kicking off his sandals he went to his workshop that he converted from a guest bedroom and deposited the jutsu scrolls onto his desk.

 _Ototon: Bakufuu Weebu_

 _Classification: Nin_

 _Nature: Sound_

 _Rank: C_

 _Class: Offensive_

 _Range: Dependent on chakra expended_

 _Requirements: Finer chakra control and understanding of the anatomy of the throat_

 _Description: By channeling chakra to your vocal chords and releasing it in a shout one can project a wave of sound that can send objects and people flying. It can pass through walls and jutsu, although suffering a significant loss in power._

 _Ototon: Inin Kooru_

 _Classification: Nin_

 _Nature: Sound_

 _Rank: B_

 _Class: Supplementary_

 _Range: Dependent on chakra, control, and objects in the vicinity_

 _Requirements: Finer Chakra Control and understanding of frequencies_

 _Description: By channeling chakra to your fingers and vibrating it one builds up excited sound waves. After building to the desired point without losing the frequency require simply discharge it by snapping your fingers. This will send the wave of sound outwards in all directions, bouncing off everything it touches, and creating a map of where everything is. This jutsu is designed to be used as a sensor ability and requires much practice to hone your ears to the required frequency. Keep in mind that the more things that surround you in such proximity of each other, the more cluttered the image will be._

Kouken felt himself shake with excitement. This. Was. **Perfect!** These two jutsu's would be absolutely sublime in his library! He would have an attack that would phase through walls and jutsu's and toss them aside like rag dolls! Sound phases through everything! The only way he could imagine it could be blocked is with an excess amount of chakra or an insanely dense wall! The other jutsu is a godsend! With it he gains an edge that a shinobi would have to be _born_ with! He would have a sensor ability because of a goddamn, motherfucking JUTSU!

"I think I just might shit myself!" He said in a shocked tone to himself. This old man fucking _delivered!_ His cheering was cut short when he stared at his dancing reflection in the mirror and blushed from embarrassment. Drawing in a deep breath to collect himself he put the jutsu scrolls aside as he didn't have enough time to fully dive into them.

Instead, the boy took out his trusty project notebook and began drawing seal formations. It was just some time ago that he was able to work out the problem that was blocking his chakra suppression seal. He couldn't figure out what to do _with_ the chakra. Every attempt to suppress his own network, which in hindsight was a bad idea for what idiot would test on themselves, caused the seal to eventually burst or burn away. There was simply not enough 'oomph' in the sealing matrix to achieve the results he wanted. Soooo, he decided to just say create something else! Fuck the textbooks and forge his own path and it was surprisingly easy. That's not to say he finished the seal, but he managed to chop a good chunk of time off the project and would only require small tweeking in the future.

What he did was simple, rather than suppressing the seal he just dispersed it. He made it so that any chakra molded by the person it was attached too was drawn into the seal and would exit out of it as harmless excess chakra. The best way to describe what would become of the chakra would be what's left over after executing a jutsu. Those with poor control would pump in an extra amount and it would get wasted as it would just linger in the area before either dissipating or getting absorbed by the environment. What was good about this seal is that no amount of chakra could burn or blow the thing away, since the seal was technically feeding the world, which was infinitely vast, there would be no way to overfill the floodgates in the sealing matrix that draw in the chakra. It was as if you were pouring water into a cup with the original seal, water being chakra and the cup being the seal. Well, if there is too much water the cup would overflow and not function as a successful container for water anymore. With the new seal design it's more of pouring water into an empty ocean. No matter how much you pour, it'll never overflow.

"I can't wait to show Anko-sensei all the progress I've made!" He said to himself giddily before he just sat there staring at his book. "….I have no fucking clue what to do next…." He muttered in despair; he wanted to practice seal making as he still had another hour and forty-five minutes left until his target showed, but he had no idea what kind of seal he wanted to make!

"I guess I'll just doodle then…" he said to himself as he began crafting some disgustingly mix-matched matrix. He didn't even think if they fit or the seal would work, he just put in parts of different seals and would later look at it to see if there was any way he could round it out and actually make it work.

He stared with the base he just created, the suction of chakra matrix, and reversed the outlet so it would take chakra out of something and feed into him. Perhaps he could make a two-way seal where it would sap the target and feed him chakra…hmm, no. If their chakra was too large or potent then the filters of the seal would fail and he'd die of chakra poisoning. He then added a triple-layered filter with the third one funneling into a purifier and refiner to increase the potency of the chakra fed. Maybe he could use this as a battery seal, used to power or fill up other seals. At the end of the seal, making it a six-layered seal of…something, he placed an incomplete and open version of a storage seal. He didn't know why, but it was all he had time for and he was sure to come back and finish it later. Looking at the clock and realizing how much time flew by he donned his all black outfit and decided to hit the streets.

"I hear my old apartment got turned into a brothel…at least they won't have to get rid of all the previous stains." Normally Kouken would vine-whip his way there, but it was a nice night and he actually kinda liked walking the streets of his neighborhood now that everyone was under the old man's shield. Looking around he could see that all the kids were in for bed, but the adults stayed out; mingling with their friends and sharing a drink or two. Shopkeepers were closing up for the night and were sitting out by their store, simply enjoying either a smoke or some beverage as they took in their success for the day. The whole air felt relaxed and at ease. Too bad Kouken's gonna break that along with some bones.

He arrived at his old apartment to see hookers hanging around everywhere! Their customers came and gone, some stayed to chat up the ladies for a freebie while others proceeded to go for another round while not even making it to the rooms. He felt his upper lip curl in disgust. These people were acting like animals! No pride or dignity; just slaves to basic instinct and hormones. It amazed him how disgusting human beings were, and he was glad that he was cut from a different cloth than these…things.

Spotting his target who was downing some beer, Kouken sighed and formed a henge. He turned into a busty C-cup brunette with a princess like braid, and sporting a frim heart shaped ass. She stood at 5'5 and was clothed in a very tight and revealing light purple kimono that accented her crystal green eyes. The look he/she went for is the regal and barely seventeen girl who seemed classy, but would turn into a real slut. Men always went nuts for a classy girl that had a serious kinky side.

Making his/her way towards her mark and phasing through the crowd he/she channeled chakra slightly to his/her voice to make it much more alluring than his normally arid and bland tone. His eyes locked with Kouken's 15 feet away and Kouken let a smirk play on her features. He already had the retard in his grasp.

"Hey there beautiful, I've never seen you around here before." He said in a rather husky tone. Internally Kouken was rolling his eyes, but he batter his/her eyelashes playfully and swayed her ass just barely out of his reach.

Turning her head slightly over her shoulder she said in a chiding yet sultry tone, "Ahh, but I've seen you. And that's why I decided to show up." She sashed her hips once more and slowly twirled around, leading him to one of the rooms and careful to stay just outside his range.

"Oh is that so? So you came all this way for little ole me?" He asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Ugh, this guy probably thinks he's the absolute shit.

"From what I've heard you're definitely not little, hmm?" She said suggestively and let her tongue slowly drag across her pale blue painted lips before release a throaty moan/chuckle. He could see that he was driving the man nuts, and it was pathetic really. He didn't even have to do much, just dress like the whores around him and act like a cock-tease and the man was putty.

"You've got good hearing then girl, because what you heard is right." He crossed the distance between them suddenly and startled Kouken. Fearing he would break the henge and unable to skirt away from him without breaking the allure he's created he stood there as the man leaned in and smelled the nape of his neck.

 _'Fuck! I forgot to put on perfume! I didn't shower after my training with guy-sensei! I bet I smell like sweat and blood!'_ Kouken swore internally, every time he infiltrated somewhere it was always one minor error that gets him fucked. He didn't want to make a scene, but perhaps that would be best; send a clear public message. Readying a fist he was interrupted by a throaty chuckle.

"Mmmm you must already be wet, you smell of sex. Getting excited are we?" He asked as he leaned away enough to stare into her eyes and give Kouken the space needed to continue backing up towards a room. It was only 10 feet away now.

"Oh I can admit to excitement, but what about yourself?" She asked playfully as her eyes flickered down to his bulging pants. She acted like the sight was mesmerizing and filled her with anxious anticipation. Finally hitting his back to the door, Kouken let a predatory smirk that would've instantly turned off any man with a clear head grace her features. Unfortunately for the man, he was thinking with a different head altogether. "Why don't we make things…more exciting?..." She said openly as she left the door open wide enough for him to enter.

"Fuck ye-" He exclaimed as he entered the room only to crumple to ground, curtsey of Kouken's neck chop. Closing the door and his henge already gone Kouken let his disgust clearly show.

"Tch, like I said…animals." He scoffed and then rolled his shoulders, it was time to get to work. He wrapped the unconscious body in vines and left out the back window into the dimly lit alleyway. Using the sewer system for a brief spell to cross a great amount of distance without being seen carrying his strange load he reappeared in much more hostile territory. Hostile for anyone affiliated with the Riders' that is.

Setting the body down he looked around for the best way to send a message, something that would leave him and his party free of blame and grab the rest of the Riders' attention…Ideally, he wanted to find a way to sway the Riders' target from the Old Man's Brigade to some other gang.

"A gang war huh? Well alright Mr. Kuroii, looks like you're starting a gang war." Kouken said with a smirk as he looked around for targets. He wasn't all that familiar with the gang in this neighborhood but he was able to tell which buildings were gang affiliated simply by the traffic going in and out. Dragging the body into another dark alley way he chose this run-down restaurant as his target. The place seemed to be a way-point for all the revenue they rake in and would be the perfect target to start a war. Try and steal a man's money and he'll beat you; but try and _destroy_ it then he'll kill you. Finding two liquor bottles on the floor which weren't all that empty he stuffed a dirty rag into the mouth before re-capping them. Putting one in the hand of Mr. Kuroii Kouken lit his own with the academy campfire jutsu and hurled it through the window. The moment it left his hands he turned and threw some smelling salt to rouse the man back to reality and bolted.

"C'mon, take the bait…" Kouken muttered to himself as he watched from a nearby rooftop as the building went up in flames with angered thugs pouring out. Kuroii, who had yet to gain his bearings stumbled out into the street still holding the makeshift firebomb and was instantly set upon by the enraged thugs.

Flashing a smile of victory, he could hear them exclaiming he was a Rider as he left the scene. Once word gets out, the Riders' will be forced to shift their attention to whomever those fuckers were just to defend themselves. That should take out the other two targets as well since them being the only high ranking officers left, it'll fall to them to organize and put up a fight. But, it'll be one pathetic fight with the numbers they have, that's for sure.

 **With Might Guy**

Guy had done what he always did on a Friday night. Show up the jounin lounge and get absolutely smashed with his friends. Everyone was there; Kakashi, Asuma, Genma, Hayate, Kurenai, Yuago, and more. They sat around the table and exchanged stories as well as jibes on any rumors they heard lately. With a graduating class only a few months away, becoming a sensei was on everyone's mind.

"So how about the new crop? Anyone got dibs?" Genma asked with a smirk as he played around with the senbon in his mouth.

"Ino-Shika-Cho." Asuma said simply before returning to his quiet conversation with Kurenai.

"Hinata Hyuga." Said Kurenai just as simply before returning to her conversation with Asuma. Or at least, tried too, but judging from Genma's smirk he wasn't gonna let her get off that easily.

"Oh yeah? Weren't you tutoring her for a while? What's she like?" He asked with fake curiosity as Asuma shot him a dirty look. The reason why was the moment he asked Kurenai lit up and completely tore away from her conversation with Asuma. What. A. Cockblock.

Kakashi chuckled and Guy smiled as Genma's joke backfired as he seemed woefully overwhelmed by everything their fellow jounin had to say about the girl and was trying desperately to find some way out of the conversation. Asuma smiled in a vindictive sort of way which got a glare/pleading look from Genma which he dismissed as he turned towards Kakashi and Guy.

"What about you Kakashi? Got any hopeful prospects? How about that Uchiha kid? Said to be he's just like his older brother in terms of skill." Asuma said as he dangled the tidbit like a fishhook waiting for him to bite. Guy didn't seem as interested as he laid backwards into his booth seat and sent a side long glance to his eternal rival while taking a sip of his drink.

Kakashi flicked his eyes from his book and stared dully at his smokestack of a friend. "…Meh." He said simply and Asuma who had been leaning in let his head hit the table with a thud. Guy snorted and shared a small smile with Kakashi before Asuma picked his head back up and attempted to revive the conversation.

"What about you, Guy?" He asked curiously. "Word is, that your prodigy is away on clan duties, and you're down one man." His words seemed to draw the curiosity of his friends and Guy put his drink down.

"That's incorrect my youthful friend; I've taken on a student from another teacher who's away for the time being." He said simply and could already feel the perfect set-up. Everyone looked confused as they would've known if somebody became a sensei recently.

"Uhh Guy? Who's the sensei? Is it anyone we would know?" Genma asked clearly happy to finally find a way away from Kurenai's enthusiasm.

"Oh yes, I believe everyone knows of this person." He said vaguely, not answering the question directly and only enticing them further.

"Well, is it a guy or girl?" Yuago asked speaking up for the first time in a while.

"Girl." Guy replied and kept silent as everyone leaned forward, except Kakashi of course, waiting for him to go on.

"Oh for shit's sake Guy! Who the bloody hell is it?!" Hayate exclaimed without a cough surprisingly.

"Anko." He said and had to hide his smile behind his drink.

"…"

"…What?" Kakashi asked as his book hanged limply from his hand as he stared dumbly at his friend. He never knew the man to be so crafty with a joke before. In fact, he's never been all that good with..jokes… Realization that it was no joke dawned on him before everyone else as he went pale and sent a quick prayer to whomever the sad, tormented sod was.

"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted and Guy couldn't hold his laughter anymore and spit his drink out choking on his amusement. It took quite some time for everyone to settle down and once they did Kurenai was the first to speak.

"It makes sense, last I spoke to her, she was gloating about a potential way to gain her promotion and then I haven't seen her since. She must've been training her..student." The words seemed wrong coming out of her mouth and she looked as if she had marbles in her mouth.

"…Well, what's the kid like?" Yuago asked curiously, wondering what her friend's student might be like with a sensei like Anko.

Guy put his drink down with a sigh and adopted a somber expression. "The boy is…" he said struggling for words, "His name is Kouken Izoumaru, and he is one of the most talented shinobi I've ever seen." He said in a tone that seemed far too depressing for such high praise.

"Well that's some praise, Guy, especially with your Neji on your team. Why sound so down about it? Afraid he'll beat you?" Asuma asked with a smirk while Kakashi sent an odd glance in Guy's direction.

"He's a registered flight risk." He said and the silence was more deafening than when he dropped the Anko bomb…heheh A-bomb.

"He's not evil, of that I can assure you." Guy said sincerely, rushing to abate any thoughts he might've sown. "He's just…His psychological profile is almost a carbon copy of Orochimaru's." He said with a sigh and looked down at his drink.

"And Anko's teaching him…" Kurenai said sadly, almost unbelieving of torment that Anko and the child must be going through.

"He's so very talented, picks things up quicker than I've ever seen. He spars with Lee every day and although he loses each time, the next one becomes that much more difficult for Lee. If it wasn't for his speed, Kouken would've trounced the boy every time." He wasn't badmouthing his prized student, he was simply stating facts. "Kouken is frighteningly suited for the shinobi lifestyle and reminds me a lot of you Kakashi." Guy said drawing his friend's attention as well as into the conversation.

"Is that right? Well, what's he good at?" He asked with his lone eye on his book.

"I wouldn't know since all I have him do is taijutsu, but from what I'm told he wants to learn everything and that's what he's doing. Fuinjutsu, poison, psychological warfare, torture, infilitation, assassination, taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, anything under the sun. He only learns obscure techniques though, believes that the no-name moves would be the hardest to counter." Guy said with a hint of pride, but mostly sadness. "So much potential, and I fear it'll consume him."

The table was silent for a while until someone started up a whole new conversation and the happy air returned, smothering the somberness like a blanket. Guy and a few others, however, were left with a small nagging in the back of their minds. But tonight, tonight would be the night they get wasted!

 **Days Pass with Anko Reporting in(Assume it's Monday)**

Anko stood tall and straight in front of her village's leader while he looked and listened to Jiraiya's report. She healed rather quickly thanks the _sober_ help of Shizune, god she loved that woman, and after a few hours of rest Jiraiya and her made their way back to Konoha at breakneck speed. She kept to herself the entire way home as her mind was on the fight that nearly killed her and the conversation she had with her long-time best friend whom she only visits when her mission routes allowed it.

The fight was a sore issue for her; as she had nearly lost because she simply wasn't good enough and it's not through a lack of trying. The seal on her neck will forever limit what she's capable of as a shinobi unless she gives into the seal and use it. No matter how hard she trains or how much practice she puts in the seal caps her chakra pools, stamina, speed, strength, anything required to become stronger without the seal's help. That's how it forces the user to give in if the user is stubborn. What twisted the knife in her gut is that because of this seal, she'll never grow stronger. Never be strong enough for jounin, never be strong enough to defeat her enemies…never be strong enough to kill her sensei…

Grinding her teeth and clenching her fist in her pockets she forced her mind to the conversation she had with her friend, Shizune.

 _Flashback_

" _Thanks Shizune, I don't see how that old hag still has a doctor's license when she operates buzzed." Anko said with a grimace. She truly didn't like doctors, not after all their poking and prodding when she was returned to the village. Imagine how she felt about a drunk one! But Shizune was the exception, she trusted her. After all, the two of them were practically the best of friends growing up, they even got apprenticeships to sensei's that were part of the same team! Those were happier times…_

" _You know Tsunade-sama is the best doctor in all the elemental lands. The reason she still has her doctors license is because everything is so easy that she could still do it despite being…under the influence." Shizune said in an admiring tone before tapering off to slight disappointment. Tsunade was practically her mother after what happened with her older brother and it kills her when she sees her that way. It's like watching the person you knew waste away…Sometimes she's not even sure if she's the same person her older brother fell for._

" _Don't let her bad habits drag ya down Shizune! So did you get that good dicking I prescribed for you the last time we met?" Anko asked with a sly grin that turned to slight disappointment at seeing Shizune's face light up red._

" _Well that's a shame, it really would do wonders for your stress." Anko said with a shake of her head. She loved her friend dearly, but she was so uptight and formal. A polar opposite of her really; it's a wonder how they get along so well._

" _Yes well did you make more friends like I advised? I don't think so." Shizune said with a 'tut-tut-tut' after regaining her normal complexion. Shizune really was the master of chiding and admonishment._

" _I have friends! I got you, Kurenai, Yuago, Hana, and the rest of the Jounin's." Anko said defensively; truthfully she only trusted Shizune the most out of the lot. Kurenai came in second, but it was a far second. Shizune said that she should try getting closer to them so she wouldn't always be alone hanging around the T &I department or The Forest of Death._

" _Sides, I wouldn't be doing much friendly things now that I got hitched." She said dismissively, absolutely missing the face of sheer shock and horror._

 _Tossing all care out for the patient out the tsundae sized hole in the wall, Shizune roughly spun her friend around. "You got_ _ **hitched?! YOU GOT FUCKING MARRIED?!"**_ _She screamed as she shook her friend by the shoulders at the speed of light._

" _What?! Fuck no! I got hitched with a student!" Anko said after she managed to make Shizune, and the world, stop shaking. "Christ, I'm wounded here, have a little more care would ya?" She muttered as she rubbed her bruised body._

 _Shizune's shock and awe reduced by a sizeable amount, but a sizeable amount still remained. Anko taking on a student was just as high up there on the unlikely things for Anko to do as getting married. She moved on to healing her thigh wound as the rest of the wounds on her body were mended._

" _So tell me about him…her?" She asked curiously._

 _Anko grunted as she felt the disgusting swelling of her thigh reduce, "Him. Name's Kouken Izoumaru and he's one spacy little fucker." She snorted at all the times she managed to pounce on him unawares._

" _Huh?"_

" _He loses sight of reality easily and drifts into his head far too much. It's kinda funny to see really." The two of them shared a chuckle after Anko imitated the look. Silence reigned between them as Shizune thought her friend would go on, but the tense air proved that this was a touchy subject._

" _So tell me about him. What's he like?" She asked in a soft voice as the healing chakra washed over Anko and lulled her into a relaxed state._

" _Ahhh," She sighed contently, "He's talented. Cut from the same cloth as Kakashi and Itachi really. Practically made for the shinobi lifestyle and is fully aware of it." She said as she laid back on a cot while Shizune checked the rest of her body for wounds._

" _You mean he's cocky?" She asked curiously, if he was as frequent that was for geniuses of their age then she doubted he was like Kakashi-sempai and Itachi Uchiha._

" _No, no…He knows that being a ninja is all there is for him. It's all he wants to do and nothing he would rather do. He put all his eggs in this basket…Very desperate to prove himself…" Anko's words became soft as both of them knew that she wasn't just talking about her student anymore._

" _Ya know…he's listed as a flight risk…" She said causing Shizune to stop her scan and look up in shock. Being listed as a flight risk on your file meant that you were monitored 24/7 by ANBU. You'll never know of their presence or what they report. They remain posted and vigilant until the flight risk status is taken away or they prove themselves a threat and are immediately taken out. Her thoughts were broken when Anko continued talking, arm draped over her eyes appearing as if she was resting._

" _His psychological evaluation has an 87.3% match with Orochimaru's…" She said causing Shizune's eyes to widen. "I saw the desperation in his eyes, how proving himself practically consumed him and I saw myself, Shizune. This brat was charging at me with explosive tags rigged to blow and I saw myself. He shouldn't have even passed the test, but I asked to take him on." Shizune's hands rested in her lap as she stared worriedly at her long-time friend. She didn't know what test she was speaking of, but she would find out later from Jiraiya-sama or someone else._

" _I thought…I thought that maybe I could save him, ya know? That I could prevent him from all the pain that road causes. But all I see is Orochimaru in him…And I_ _ **hate**_ _him for it." She said passionately, as if she was struggling to contain herself. Her voice was taking a hoarse edge, "In the spars I always go a little too hard and in the lessons I always point some failure out. I threw him in the Forest of Death for five days without any equipment before I even trained him! Even Orochimaru had me keep my supplies when I did it! Hell I just broke into his apartment and knocked him out!" She pulled her arm away and revealed tightly clenched eyes that had tears barely leaking out. Anko was always strong like that, much stronger than how Shizune felt herself._

 _Her voice wavered and was thick in emotion, "I wanna save him…but I'm trying to kill him! I'm training him just how Orochimaru trained me and I can see him growing up to be like the bastard more and more each day!" The tears began flowing more freely and Shizune moved to comfort her._

 _Patting her hair and hugging her tightly she let Anko hold on as she vented all the pent up frustration and rage that this student brings her. Rocking back and forth the two sat there for quite some time before Anko's voice sounded off once again, much more exhausted this time._

" _What do I do Shizune? I'm afraid I'm making a monster and I'm afraid just being by the brat is turning me into one too!" Anko pleaded for advice as she looked at her friend directly into her eyes. Shizune pursed her lips and thought each word as carefully as the last._

" _I think…That what you see happening is a very likely reality." She said watching the woman cringe and pull from her. Anko felt this way because she was viewed as the next Orochimaru growing up and even more so after his betrayal. To say the same about another child must've stung for her, but for them to be right must've made it even worse. "However," Shizune said drawing her friend's eyes once more, "I believe that only you can prevent this. To do right by the boy and give him everything your sensei didn't give you. Become more than a sensei and guide him away from his dark potential." Anko hung on every word she said but inside she was cringing. She knew Shizune was right, but to accomplish that meant she had to spend much more time with the boy whom she saw her pathetic self and deranged master in. It was like a cruel reflection that wouldn't stop mocking her with the truth._

 _Shizune soon left after that and Anko's exhausted mind shut down for a few hours of dreamless sleep._

 _Flashback Over_

"Anko!" A voice called out, snapping Anko's focus to reality.

"Huh?! What?" She called out with a start, looking around to see not only Jiraiya's eyes on her but the Sandiame's as well. She dropped to a knee and shoved her fist into her shoulder, "I'm sorry Hoakge-Sama! I was merely reflecting on my battle!" She said/half-lied.

Jiraiya and his sensei shared a troubled look as they both knew that Anko was never respectful. The few times she was, one could tell that something was clearly bothering her.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Could you tell me more about your run-in with the ANBU's apparent leader and how he fought?" He asked as he leaned forward with interest.

Anko snapped back to her standing stance and nodded, "Hai, Hokage-sama. He was strong, easily ANBU level and well-experienced in fighting as an elite. He showed no signs of emotional distress and used a variety of weird techniques, two of which included damage to my ears, and powerful gusts of wind coming from his palms without any hand signs. He fought like he was trained to be an emotionless tool, and calculated the risks of every engagement at blistering speeds." She then stepped back and the other two men began discussing with each other once again.

"That'll be all Anko. Thank you." Hiruzen said with a sigh as he rubbed his furrowed brow in distress. Anko snapped off a salute and exited the room, feeling the swell of anxiety at meeting her student again.

Both men in the room watched her leave with her mind submerged in thoughts unknown and likely troubling to her.

"She nearly died…" Jiraiya said staring at his sensei.

"This doesn't bode well Jiraiya. I'm desperately hoping it's paranoia, but my gut and reports are telling me war is brewing. Sunagakure just signed a military alliance with some new village called _Otogakure_ and already I am getting requests to participate in this year's Chunin Exams." He said as he stared at the papers splayed against his desk. As of now, the exam was only nine months away. This year's graduating class doesn't graduate for another three months, which meant they only had about six months to prepare them for a potential war.

"My spy network is digging up everything they can about this alliance with the new village, but everything is surprisingly quiet. It's as if they know we're watching and from where we are watching from." Jiraiya mused aloud, voicing his troubled thoughts.

"I've already deployed squads of ANBU to perform more _aggressive_ forms of information gathering. If we're going to war, then I want to see it over before it even begins." Hiruzen proclaimed seriously with a fire burning in his eyes. It would seem he is tasked with protecting his home once more and it was time to assemble to council.

 **With Kouken, Training Tower**

Kouken bounced on the balls of his feet with excitement, running through his kata's as if he was as light as air itself. Today was the day Anko returned and would be testing him on all the progress he's made and he couldn't wait to show her. His weights were off and with a few minutes of testing how he moved when _Ninpo: Goriki_ was on he felt confident in his ability to at least land a blow! That's right, his goal was to just land a blow. He never could before and today would be the day that he breaks that record.

He also had another jutsu under his belt, _Ototon: Bakufuu Weebu_ , which took only two days to learn. He was far from mastering it as it took too much time in his opinion to charge up and always left his throat hoarse after use, but he was still able to perform the technique successfully. It felt good to finally go back to learning ninjutsu easily as he had been stuck on _Ninpo: Dokugiri_ since he got it. He simply couldn't perform the move, and it came down to him not having good enough understanding of chemistry. He tried to learn, but the time simply wasn't there for him and chemistry was so…BORING! Dear god, it made him want to kill himself it was that dull!

The time for waiting came to an end as he sensed the arrival of his sensei. Turning towards the great big doors she would enter through he felt excitement build and couldn't help himself from smiling. He was pretty sure that the grin would split his face in two.

That was the image an anxious and struggling Anko was greeted with. She was trying to convince herself that the boy wasn't either her or Orochimaru and that she simply needed to coax it out, and that she couldn't take her anger out on the boy. But when she opened those two massive doors she was greeted with the image of a madly grinning boy with eyes that shone with unhinged excitement. He was so overwhelmed she could see his muscles shaking and wisps of chakra swirling around him. She felt her mind go blank and a snarl rip from her throat.

"Hello, Anko-Sensei! Would you like to see how much stronger I've gotten?" He asked in what was innocent to him, but sounded horribly mocking and twisted to Anko.

"Bring it, you little **shit.** " She snarled in a hostile way although Kouken received it as her just being her and all was well.

Kouken needed no further enticement and charged right towards her. At first, there was no change in his speed since the last time the two sparred and he could see the over-confidence in her eyes already. Just some odd feet away from her he completely disappeared from view. Her surprise bled to pain when a second later a kick that definitely bruised her ribs sent her flying. Before she could right herself she felt a thorny vine grab her by her arm and shred her coat sleeve, only stopped by her mesh armor underneath. The vine yanked her back and sent her flying against the metal rails slamming her back into it with enough force to dislocate her arm.

Watching his sensei cry out in pain was heavenly to hear. This! This was what success felt like! This is proof of all his hard work! This is proof that she needs no other student! Grinning wildly and not letting his attack cease he threw her up in the air with the vine and disappeared once more. As Anko reached her climax she saw her wildly grinning student appear before her with his knees tucked into his chest. Eyes widening in alarm she managed to put her arms into a cross block to absorb the kick before rocketing down towards the ground. Not finished in the least with his attack Kouken sent out his thorny vines once more, dripping with chakra poison to wrap completely around her body before she hit the ground. Pulling her close towards him and spinning faster and faster as he fell towards the ground he planned to pile drive her straight into the ground.

Anko could feel every one of his assaults with red hot pain. The boy managed to nearly quadruple his speed and triple his strength in just two weeks, it wasn't natural! She knew of his _Ninpo: Goriki_ and its potency, but this was ridiculous. This also happened to be enough for Anko.

With a flare of chakra she dished out some severe chakra burns to the vines and her student that held her capture. Right before she hit the ground she grabbed the boys shoulders and tossed him over her head, transferring all the inertia and power behind the attack and sending him straight into a wall, or at least would've had his vines not shoot out once more and grab the railings and send him rocketing forward and twice the speed he was thrown.

Now moving at blistering speed, nearly four times from when he sent Anko shooting towards the ground with his double stomp, he slipped right through her guard and buried a fist in her gut, folding her slightly over his fist and making her spit blood. Using their height difference to his advantage and remaining inside her guard he sent a vicious elbow right where her nose met her lip. That move was a kill shot, or at least would've sent the cartilage of her nose into her brain had she not mover her head slightly. Pulling a ram sign and charging chakra in his vocal cords he sent her flying away with a near 180 degree kick to her chin. Kouken never felt better in his entire life, he was so close to winning that nothing could stop him! He would finally prove that he was strong enough to be a shinobi and that he deserved to be remembered forever! Anko would never forget the genin that beat her senseless with only two weeks of training. She just managed to right herself when he felt _Ototon: Bakufuu Weebu_ finally charge up; she would get slammed by it at only three feet away!

Anko could see how wild and gleeful his eyes were in the moment she righted herself, she saw the glimmer that meant absolutely unrestrained happiness. Those eyes may have been dark blue, but in that instance, she only saw gold with black slits. That's when she snapped.

That was when it happened. Once again, on the cusp of victory Kouken felt the pain first before the actual realization that it was taken from his grasp. A punch to his temple forced him to one knee and the jutsu he was charging up tore out of his throat uncontrolled. He felt his voice box and throat tear itself apart and the resounding boom of when the jutsu impacted the ground right at his feet sent him soaring away. In the air he felt a kick propel him in another direction and he smashed into the metal railings, not unlike his sensei had earlier. Eyes shut in pain he tried to scream but nothing would come out. He could feel the rail dent from his body and felt weightless once more when he slipped off.

Now given some time, Anko put her dislocated arm back into its socket and grinned cruelly at the descending child. She felt glee in smashing this Orochimaru wannabe and she would be damned if he leaved here thinking he won. Disappearing from view she grabbed the boys head in her hand before spinning on heel and smashing him face first into the ground with enough force to crack it. The boy opened his mouth in a wordless motion and she repeated the attack, pausing each time to look at his face before using his head to create even wider cracks.

Outside that training room one could hear the slamming of concrete meeting flesh. Outside that training tower one could hear nothing. Through the sounds of the forest and into the heart of Konoha nobody would be able to hear Anko's attacks, but nobody would hear the price of his failure louder than Kouken did himself.

 **Wrap! That's a wrap! Fun chapter, not a lot of action once more, but hey I put things in that would interest you. This is all the rising action and I dunno bout you but it's fun to write, so I hope it's fun to read! Anyways, next chapter will likely be Kouken's first mission with Anko and I want to thank everyone for the reviews, messages, favorites and follows! My email is on the fritz right now, but I am checking the story page daily to see if new reviews are posted. I swear I love reading them. Fapman did I abate any of your concerns? I sent you a PM a long ass time ago about them and I didn't get a response. Everyone let me know what you think. Also to whomever the guest was that said he/she would drop my story if it became OCxOC romance than you might want to drop my story anyways if something so small concerns you. Now I know romance may not be small to you, but since the genre is Adventure/Drama and I have little to no interest in creating a romance other than to perhaps advance Kouken's character, the likelihood of there being any romance at all is insanely minute. That's it! PEACE OUT!**


	8. Q&A 1-7

**NOT ACTUALLY A CHAPTER!**

 _Hey guys, it's me, the author. Anyways, first I would like to apologize about getting your hopes up for another chapter so quickly after the last; I've been there before. Getting that buzz about your favorite fic and then BOOM! Just an author's note. Not that I'm presumptuous enough to assume that my fic is your favorite, of course. Anyways I'm getting a bit off track, so let me get to the point. Every so often I will drop a chapter like this, where I collect the feedback from you guys about how you felt the past chapters have been and how you like the story or where it's heading. Since this story itself is a beta these Q & A chapters will help me further optimize the story to your liking. I truly hope that you all will take advantage of this as the reviews lately have been trickling down; although I love reading them they're also important in letting me know where I can improve or avenues to take the story in. I would like to say, however, that reading your review SimplyLokajad sent me into a bit of a happy dance. It really made me happy seeing someone verbally acknowledge the themes that I'm implementing and I can assure you that I have a good feeling you'll like where this goes. _

_Anyways, that's it for now! Please,_ **PLEASE** _take advantage of this Q & A. Your feedback will make this story all the better and give me the confidence I need to continue the story. I mean, if people aren't enjoying the beta phase of a story what's the point in continuing it? PM me, put up a review, hell I might even set up a kik where you could talk to me directly later on. _

_I'm not all that far into chapter 8, like only a page or so, so it'll take some time. That's all for now!_

 _ **PEACE OUT!**_


	9. Chapter 8: The Nature of Man

**Chapter Eight: The Nature of Man**

The silence found throughout the training tower was palpable. The only sound that disturbed the oppressive aura was the occasional grunt of exertion. Anko stood stone faced on the giant stone ram seal looking over her student running through his exercises. Kouken's face was completely slack, free of any emotion while his eyes shone with cold precision. His face had only slight yellow bruises on them while the floor remained cracked. His eyes seemed to avoid it with certain effort while Anko's couldn't seem to pull away from it.

Anko stared hard at her student who seemed to be moving with such fluidity and grace that he was water incarnate, but the cold, lifeless lethality that filled his eyes had caused her to flinch and fix her gaze towards her hands… They were completely pink; as if they were scrubbed raw or left under scalding water for too long. The pain must've been fierce for her, but it failed to keep her from drowning in her thoughts.

' _I…I nearly, I don't even remember…'_ Anko's thoughts had threatened to consume her completely, had it not been for the image of Kouken's swollen face and blood soaked hair being the only thing that would've greeted her. It felt like it had been seared into her mind and each time she closed her eyes the image flashed across her face; the scent of copper had filled her nose, and the ashamed and defeated look that she found once she managed to reduce the swelling of her student.

It wasn't anger or fear or even hatred that he projected at her. No, he blamed himself. He thought himself to be a failure; too weak to accomplish whatever goal he set before himself. Anko nearly tore herself apart at the thought that this boy still didn't see any wrong in what she had done to him. It was a wonder that he was still conscious, the damage to his head was severe. She had managed to heal a portion of it and use her understanding of the body to do some more, but the rest was left up to his strange ability to heal quickly. The only thing that wasn't healing quickly, or even at all was his throat. Whatever jutsu he was charging up had misfired inside his throat and from what she could gather, it tore his vocal chords to shreds. She would've, _should've_ , brought him to the hospital immediately, but she would've gotten her rank stripped from her.

Things like these would go under Sensei-Student abuse and depending on the severity could get you dismissed as a ninja, prison time, or all three with your chakra permanently sealed off. She was relying on that healing ability to kick in and make the brat able to speak again. She was trying to save her own skin… and she knew it.

' _Tch…Not like I'm looking forward to whatever he has to say anyways.'_ She thought bitterly to herself. Anko couldn't believe that she wasn't ready to hear whatever the boy rightfully had to say to her. This whole thing was getting worse by the minute; the silence was oppressive, and yet she was terrified of what he might have to say. She had to get them out of this tower.

"Brat!" She called, jumping down from her perch and trained her eyes on her slowly approaching student. She could see the despondent and self-loathing look in his eye and she clenched her fists harder. "We're going on a mission, a C-rank one." She had to fight back a sigh of relief at the sight of excitement jolting through his body. It was good to see that he acted like other genin, if only slightly.

Kouken was dashing alongside his sensei through the forest at a brisk pace. His mind, however, was travelling at a much faster speed. _'Finally! A real mission, something to test myself against…Anko's giving me another chance to prove myself, again. I_ _ **won't**_ _fail her this time…Even if I have to sell my very soul.'_ Kouken thought with a passion that seemed oddly cold for something so resolute. The look in his eye was that of a hard edge, like granite or steel, rather than the fire most would associated with an impassioned shinobi of Konohagakure. At the thought of his sensei his stomach churned uncomfortably. He felt anger towards her; seething, white-hot rage that broiled just under the surface of his skin. When he first woke the feeling nearly consumed him; which was odd for him because he could never recall losing his temper like that before. Even when the man who tested him previously had failed him he only felt like a failure, but this time, he felt as if he had been _wronged_. He squashed the thought, which was easier said than done. Anko was his sensei, teaching him to become a stronger, more lethal shinobi. She teaches him this way so his full potential may be brought to the surface, and what happened was no different than when she threw him in the Forest of Death…

 _'But Guy-Sempai was never like that.'_ Again Kouken cursed himself for being both weak of mind and body. He couldn't beat Anko and suffered physically, now he is seeking to place blame where none is due, other than his own self, to assuage his pride. Displacing his failure's only made him more of one. He knew this to be true, and yet…he still couldn't help but feel that Anko deserved to be punished for what she did. Kouken was glad his voice still wasn't working; he was afraid of what he might say.

Before Kouken knew it, and to Anko's relief, they arrived at the mission center. Striding in with her silent student trailing behind she put on the usual Cheshire cat grin. Kouken could see some of the working chunin visibly cringe, even the Elders made a slight frown. But the moment they entered the door, the Hokage's eyes wouldn't leave his own. He felt as if he was an enemy in that single moment, and it made Kouken feel trapped.

"Ahh Anko, finally here for that C-rank, I presume?" The hokage asked with a warm, grandfatherly smile. A polar opposite to the look he flashed Kouken just prior. Kouken, unknowingly had stopped in his tracks when he got that look and was still standing awkwardly in the doorway. Striding forward he could see some of the chunin smile, looking at him as if he was some shy and socially inept _boy_.

"Got it in one, Jiji-sama!" Anko exclaimed with a grin and closed eyes. Fortunate for her, she never managed to see the absolute look of horror that flashed across her student's face at the blatant disrespect towards their leader. What shocked him even more was the chuckle she got in response.

"Ahh, you sure do know how to beat the stuffy air out of the room." The hokage said while lighting his pipe.

"Make sure you put that in my recommendation for promotion, "Anko Mitarashi, Great for parites." She said with splayed out arms as if she was picturing the words right there. Kouken looked around the room. Windows first, then corners…hell, he even tried to lean backwards slightly to check the closet next to him. Where the fuck was the execution squad? Where was the ANBU swooping in to drag them away for calling their leader an old man? Where was the _swooping?_

"It would seem that your student might not take another jibe, so here you go. It's a simple clearing and culling of the bandits. A village about twenty-five miles out has been complaining of getting harassed. Come back once it's complete, the village leader may be able to direct you further." He said and tossed Anko the scroll who caught it and surprised Kouken by grabbing his arm. The next second his world was spinning and he landed face first, ass up in the dirt with his breakfast fighting his way up his throat. After some dry-heaving he speared Anko with a glare before taking note of where he was. The gates of Konoha.

"Bwahahaha…Ahh man, next time you wanna glare murderously at someone, make sure your face isn't covered with dirt. Anyways, that was your first Shushin and I'll be doing that more often. The more you become acclimated to it the quicker I can teach it to you." She said before looking at the scroll and then back to her student.

Kouken was busy filling out the necessary forms at the gatehouse so that they may go on their mission. The two chunin who have been stationed here longer than him being on the reserve forces were trying to make small talk with him, but for obvious reasons, he wasn't responding. His sensei strolled up to him and put a hand on his hair, ruffling it and gaining another foul look from him. What was with all this grabby shit?

"My genin is so smart! Filling out forms like a big boy!" She gushed dramatically over him, wrapping him in her arms and spinning back and forth. Kouken for his part was smothered by his teacher's ample chest and his fight for freedom became one for survival.

After dislodging himself he sent a murderous glare towards the two chunin which shut one up abruptly while the other kept laughing with his eyes closed and head back. A quick slap from his buddy snapped him back to reality and he too clammed up upon seeing the downright vicious look in the pink haired eyes.

"Oi, the hell's the matter with you?" Anko asked curiously as the two were gulping and sweating as the boy continued his stare, unmoving and unflinching. She looked at them before following their eyesight and saw her student's look. Well, he picked up on the murderous glare lesson rather quickly. Sighing she slapped the boy out of his stupor while shaking her head and calling the two chunin's out. "God, you two are such pussies! He's a fucking genin! The hell do you think he could do to you?!" She shouted/ask in exasperation.

 _'Nothing they'd be able to prove.'_ Kouken thought darkly before shrugging off his annoyance and catching up to his sensei who had already began walking out the massive gates. It's funny…He wasn't a sentimental bastard, but…he always felt that his first C-rank would've been more important to him. But here he was, already dashing through the tree's and didn't even stop to soak in the moment.

"Here's the deal brat, I want this mission done in record time. We aren't going to the village for any info, we'll, and by 'we' I mean you, will find their location without any help. This'll be a good chance to test out all that information gathering you've been learning. Since you don't have any summons to gather info, I've already sent out my snakes. Once they find someone we'll begin the _**lesson**_." Anko said in a dark tone that sent shivers down Kouken's spine. At first he always just chalked it up to being a shinobi, but after spending so much time around other's he found out that the glee taken in such gruesome tasks was something specific to Anko.

He did say that he wanted to learn everything, and that included torture, but it still felt slimy to him. He believed in killing your opponent in a fight, not drawing their suffering out. But he clearly understood why it was important and like he had done countless times before, he would kill his own beliefs for the shinobi way.

Running along the branches, Kouken saw his sensei straighten abruptly. Stopping on a branch a few feet in front of her he turned and looked at her questioningly.

"These guys are quite sloppy. We've got someone already." She said with a dark grin that Kouken replied with confusion. They haven't been running all that long, or at least that's what he thought until he sent a look to the sky and saw the sun in a much lower position than when they left. Looking around with a start he heard his sensei chuckle at his confusion.

"Yes, kid, we've been running for that long. Not that you'd be able to say anything now, but your thoughts were keeping you company for hours." She shook her head and jumped down to the forest floor. "And here I thought I beat that habit out of you." At the moment she mentioned the beating, the air became tense. Anko cursed herself for bringing it up so carelessly after what had happened and she chanced a look at her student. She didn't have to be an expert in T&I to realize that he felt some anger towards her, and rightfully so. Anko was almost relieved that he held anger towards her, it was reassuring to see him react normally to something for once.

Their walking in silence grew increasingly louder as they approached a clearing where a man's curses could be clearly heard. Coming into the clearing Kouken's eyes widened at the sight of three rather large snakes binding his limbs and snapping their jaws awfully close to the man.

The man looked to be in his thirties and appeared to not have showered or shaved in weeks. His clothes were all dirty and matted with stains while some parts were sparsely covered in armor. A rusty sword with numerous chips in it lay out of reach and Kouken rolled his eyes at such a cliché apparel for a bandit. Why do criminals _dress_ like a criminal? Haven't they ever heard of a disguise? Christ, fucking hopeless.

"Alright brat, here's the deal. You, and whatever you require, will be tasked with getting information out of the fucker. We want to know where his base is, who his leader is, if there are any hostages, and how many men they have encamped. Anything else like where their spoils are or patrols are appreciated, but I doubt they'd bother hiding or organize themselves to such a degree." She saw him nod and look uncertainly at the target. Anko put a hand on his shoulder and looked hard at him. "I want you to understand what I'm asking you to do. I want you to _torture_ this man. Killing is one thing, but torture will leave a darker stain on your soul than anything else…usually." She said with a strict tone and didn't release her hold on his shoulder until he nodded.

"Good, now listen closely. Everyone has a different method to getting the info they need. I'll stand by and ensure that you don't accidently off the bitch before we get everything we need. This'll help you discover your "Method"." She said with air quotes.

Kouken took one uneasy step after the other and tried to speak to the man. Surprisingly something came out, although it sounded like a death rattle, "Where is your base?" He asked in a coarse and gravelly tone.

The man laughed and spat on the ninja's face, "Hahaha! Fuck you!" His face twisted into a rather ugly sneer, show casing the worst set of teeth Kouken had ever laid eyes on. Wiping the spit away from his cheek, he strode towards the man and lashed a kick that caught him in the cheek.

Sending the man sprawling Kouken grabbed a fistful of his greasy brown hair and yanked his head up from the ground. "I don't like wasting time; where is your base?" Kouken asked again, whispering his death rattle voice in the man's ear again.

"Ahaha, why don't you tell me where your mother is and I could give you a baby brother to play with?!" The man laughed as his cheek was already swelling up. Kouken held the man by his hair briefly as if contemplating the request before sending two quick punches to the man's face.

Kouken stared down at the man's shattered teeth and still the smile was present. He would have to change that. Kouken really wasn't enjoying any of this and he knew he wouldn't enjoy what he would begin to do. Still, he kept these reservations buried so deeply that the only thing that bleed to the surface of his face was cold emptiness. Splaying his arms out slightly, twin vines slowly slithered out barbed with the most vicious looking thorns he had ever produced. The grin of the man faltered for a moment as the boy walked towards him and it wasn't long before the clearing filled with screams. All the while, Anko sat on a branch, slightly impressed by the boy's creativity, but mostly worried about that empty look in his eyes. She could feel the chill of those icy orbs from here.

 **In a Dark Room…Somewhere**

"Greetings, everyone." Said a silky and putrid voice, "I do believe we all could benefit from some more lighting, hmm?" He said airily before letting loose a small chuckle. Two claps sounded off and torches of blue flame flickered to life, illuminating the room, albeit barely and revealing the people occupying it.

The room itself was rather small and non-descript. A U-shaped table occupied the center and seated at this table were six people. Each of these six people save for one, had large hats on with a veil, completely concealing their facial features. The one man who lacked such a hat made certain people wish he was the only one wearing one. Pale skin, golden eyes with black slits, long silky black hair that seemed to blend perfectly with the darkness behind him, and finally, a grin that stretched so wide it was nearly sickening.

Orochimaru of the Sannin.

"I would like to welcome you all, and thank you for responding to my invitations. It's so hard to get people together like this nowadays." He sighed sadly and waited for a response. Nothing but silence greeted him and he sat straighter in his seat and clapped as if something dawned on him. "I know! Would any of you like some refreshments?" He said merrily and snapped his fingers. Out from the darkness came a pale and white haired teen with two green dots on his forehead. He kneeled by his master.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama?" He intoned subserviently.

"Get these fine people something to drink, I'm sure the reason they're so silent is because they're parched from the journey." He commanded in a sweet tone of voice, waving his hand to gesture all the people around him.

"What we wait for, Orochimaru, is a reason to speak. That reason would be as to why you gathered us all here today." Came an aggravated voice from across the U-shaped table.

Orochimaru turned his head back towards the man who spoke and his smile seemed to split his face even further. "Look around my friend, what do you see that we all share in common?" once again he gestured to the other occupants of the table and another voice was heard, this one far more raspy than the one prior.

"They grow tired of these games, Orochimaru. Now would be a fine time to get to the point." The voice to his right said.

"Ahh that may be very true Kazekage-dono, but isn't there a saying that it's not the destination, but the journey that matters?" He asked innocently while tilting his head and flashing a gentle smile towards the now identified leader of Sunagakure. Orochimaru heard a small rustling sound and looked down at his chair to see small strands of gold all ready to slit his arteries. Orochimaru let loose another sad sigh, "Oh very well, always the ruin of fun, Rasa-kun." The gold strands tightened enough to draw deep gashes across his wrists. It would appear that the Kazekage doesn't like being addressed so familiarly.

"What we all have in common, and the reason I've invited you all here today is simple; we all hate Konoha." He said with a shrug as if the grudge was something as bothersome as household chores.

"If that's true then what are _they_ doing here?" The voice that asked the original question exclaimed as he slammed his hand upon the table while point to the figure who sat behind a cloth that had the kanji for fire on it.

"The Hokage is a traitor to his daimyo and the current one is a nothing but a cretin." The voice replied with disdain as his hand gripped tighter on his ringed staff.

"Now, now, interrupting me while I'm answering your question is rude." Orochimaru said with his ever present sickeningly sweet voice but with a slight edge to it. He stared hard at the standing man until he finally eased himself back into his seat and the tense nature of the room fled as quickly as it came. "As I was saying," Orochimaru said while taking some folders from the white haired teen with dots, "We all hate Konoha, and the Kazekage and I, have a plan we think you all would greatly enjoy being a part of." He then tossed a folder to each of the people sitting and watched as they flicked through it, relishing at the sight of their grins growing wider by the second.

"We of Snow country agree to the terms." The man who sat behind the cloth of the Snow country was the first to speak and he placed his large, Kage-like hat on the table in front of him.

Orochimaru flashed him a grin of the darkest appreciation before another voice rang out.

"We of Grass country agree to the terms." And the female sounding voice placed her hat down in front of her like her new ally from Snow country had.

That made two; he just needed Sky and the loyalists of the Daimyo to agree and then everything would finally fall into place. The silence lasted for a moment before the loyalist chuckled and stamped his ringed staff.

"We of the Fire country agree to the terms." Another hat hit the table. Orochimaru stared at the representative of Sky country with a smirk reminiscent of a cat who just trapped the canary.

"…We…Accept as well." The man said with carefully measured words before throwing his hat down and standing in unison with everyone else.

Orochimaru clapped his hands gleefully and flashed them all a bright smile, far too cheery when it was caused by plotting the death and destruction of an entire village. "Terrific! I'm sure only good things will come from this! You all have your parts to play, and I'm sure you all have things to prepare. Konoha will fall." He finished his statement with a malicious smile and the words seemed to provoke equally dark grins from his compatriots.

They followed Orochimaru out of the room and onto a balcony overlooking a massive room almost completely filled with people. Nearly three hundred shinobi clothed in the same garb with completely white masks all stopped and dropped to one knee simultaneously. Orochimaru chuckled and leaned over to his partner from Suna, "Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?"

 **With Kouken**

Kouken sighed as he tried and failed to get the blood off of his vest. Cleaning them was a bitch since the mesh lining of the interior didn't exactly make it washer-machine friendly. In frustration he threw his vest into the dirt beside him and stared aimlessly at the stream they were camped by. Anko had went off to get food and that left Kouken some time to himself; something he clearly didn't want. He couldn't even look at his reflection he was that disgusted with himself. An image of the man's face, etched in agony was seared into his mind…the screams echoed around his skull like wind in an empty cave; never above a low whistle, but always being heard.

 _'Tch, get it together man! Orders were, and always will be, orders! Being a shinobi doesn't mean being a hero…it means sacrificing your soul…'_ Kouken sat on the ground and pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping himself in his arms trying to stave off a chill that only he could feel. Kouken was a realist, never indulging in fantasies of grandeur or rescuing princesses from tyrannical men. No, he dreamed of being a shinobi of Konoha and that meant training to kill each and every day. He trained _harder_ than anyone because he dreamt of it _more_ than anyone else ever did. He should've been long since prepared for this to happen.

But for all his talent and drive, Kouken was still a child, and no child could ever prepare themselves for what he had done to that man…He had slowly inserted his thorns into the man's arms. Small enough that it would fit in between the last layer of skin and first of muscle, bulging but never tearing through, Kouken's vines had shredded everything inside. The pain was so intense that one of Anko's snakes had to restrain his arms and head so that his thrashing wouldn't tear the vines out and he wouldn't snap his own neck. It was only moments, _moments_ , before the man began screaming his secrets for all the forest and its creature to hear…and yet Anko had him continue for hours. The moon had risen by the time Anko slapped a kunai in his hand and told him to finish it.

A drop of water hit his arm and he looked up in confusion. Sure it was pitch black out, save for the moon and the stars, but he would've been able to tell if it was raining. Then he felt another drop hang off his chin and hit his pants. Bringing a shaking hand to his face he realized with a start that it was tears running down his face, not rain. Shaking his head he couldn't will them to stop and they continued to fall freely, soaking his pants and shirt.

Just then a hand gripping his shoulder caused him to roll into a handstand, lash out with a foot, and drive a kunai into the stomach of whomever had snuck up on him. All attacks were blocked and Kouken's eyes widen realizing that he just attacked his sensei. He would've bowed in forgiveness already, but Anko was still holding him by his ankle and wrist staring down at him with an unfamiliar expression.

She smiled sadly at him and set him down gently before taking a seat next to him. It was quiet for a while; Kouken sat there confused, torn between an unwillingness or inability to speak while Anko just sat there, staring off into the distance.

"You know…a lot of the things you've done my master had me do. I could remember how I thought of him after today, and you're right, I am a monster." She said in a tone of voice he never heard before. It was soft, gentle, somehow carrying a weight that betrayed just how lightly they carried on the wind. He never heard anything like it before and it made him feel… _strange_.

"I still remember the woman I was forced to torture. I remember her screams, the way she writhed on the floor, the blood…All for the name of a simple arms dealer. When we caught the man he seemed so small; so utterly insignificant and it **angered** me." She sighed and looked up at the starry sky while Kouken stared slightly opened-mouth at his teacher. "I wasn't sure who I was mad at more; myself, my sensei, the world…all I knew was that this man wasn't worth all the suffering that woman had to go through. She wasn't even a bad person, just some hooker that was unlucky enough to be the scumbag's regular. When I killed him, I felt as if I was avenging the woman." Anko snorted and looked back towards the ground, shaking her head slowly.

"Stupid, right? After all, it was me who had flayed the skin off her and cauterized her vagina shut." Kouken flinched at the sudden image and felt his stomach tumble slightly. Anko lifted her head and a sad smirk graced her face, "For days afterwards I was a total mess; throwing up until there was nothing left in my stomach, crying when I was alone, hounded by nightmares that no genjutsu could beat. Finally, after almost a week of that, my sensei pulled me aside and explained why he had me do it." Anko scooted closer to her student and locked eyes with him, seeing the pain and trauma shimmering in his tear streaked orbs of blue. _'He always was just a kid…just a stupid kid with the worst luck in this fucked world.'_ She smiled and for the first time in the conversation it actually looked somewhat happy.

"He said that the first kill is always the worst, and the most important for a shinobi. It'll stay with you forever, like a blotch on your soul, and many shinobi lose themselves over it. Some never kill and freeze up when they have too…He wanted me to torture that woman, Tsubaki Koto was her name, so that when it came time to kill her, it wouldn't be the worst thing I've done. That me slashing her throat would be a mercy and the next kill would be justification for my actions. 'Everyone dies at somepoint, Anko-chan. Death comes for all and it's a shinobi's mission to find purpose in it." She looked down at her student to see his head dipped and clenching his wrists tightly. He tried to hide the tears, but Anko could see them fall all the same.

She wanted to tell him that it was okay to cry. That it didn't make him weaker for it, and that it was the most preferably bodily fluid to excrete after such a jarring experience. But she knew it would only damage his pride; and to Kouken, pride meant _everything._ So she did the next best thing.

Wrapping one arm around him and pulling him close she looked up at the sky and sighed, "What a terrible night for rain."

 **Later with Kouken**

Kouken sat on a tree branch, high up from the forest floor and covered by branches, and observed. His face had lines going down them and bag under his eyes. A restless night isn't usually that problematic for him, he had more energy than the average bloke, but it's different when you spend the majority of it in emotional turmoil. That turmoil, however, was a thing of the past. He allowed himself that moment of weakness and crushed it once he was spent. He can't afford to appear so weakly in front of Anko again, especially during a mission.

The thought of his sensei made him feel strange. An odd feeling to be sure, but not uncomfortable or stressing. He felt…lax, peaceful in a way. Here he was watching the bandit encampment, literally a twenty foot drop from hostiles, and he didn't feel nearly as tense as he did before. That was also another strange thing; he never noticed how tense he always was until today. But these were all pointless musings, Anko had given him his orders and he was expected to carry them out.

Anko had positioned herself on the northern side, a little towards the west while he occupied the south-east front. Kouken was to wait for her mark, which would send the camp into a frenzy and push all of them his way. There he and Anko would trap and eliminate them.

It was fortunate that the place wasn't so large, after all, they only had around 75 men so the number was manageable enough for their two man group. Feeling the warmth of a waning sun engulf his body he felt a pleasant calm before the storm. He stared at what little of the sun he could see from his tree cramped position and saw that it was about dinner time. The sky was painted in an outrageous blend of pink and purple and the clouds almost seemed orange. He wasn't sure if he was happy that he had the sun to shine light upon him or ashamed at what that light was about to see from him. Anko had put a steady pace forth to get here after they broke camp yesterday. They left sometime around eight and despite her desire to finish the mission in record time, took no rush in getting there. After all, they were still considered to be in Konoha's backyard so traversing the terrain was no big deal.

Anko's real reasoning was that she wanted to give the boy time to mentally prepare himself for what was to come. With only the two of them, the boy would be doing more than his fair share of killing. It was a wayward and naïve hope, but Anko wished that he could remain some stupid kid who spaced out too much, but he had already shone too much promise and danger. The shinobi life now had him firmly in its clutches, and it would either keep him until he passed…or leave him behind as a shell.

Just then screams tore him from his appreciation of the sunset and he pushed chakra to his eyes to see more clearly.

A literal sea of snakes was tearing through the encampment, causing men to either scramble away in fear or submerge under them never to stir again. Readying himself he jumped to a lower branch and went through his list of moves. _'Crowd control, chakra efficient, and lethal. Goriki-not good for crowds, Vines- Possibly, entanglement and thorns could buy time, but area too widespread, Scorching Petal- Least chakra use, good for crowds, lethal and simple, but accuracy in a mob difficult…I really need an area jutsu…'_ Kouken realized with a frown. He hated being unprepared and with all of his studies covering such a wide range of topics, he completely forgot to keep his jutsu library balanced. After this mission was over he would rectify that immediately, but for now, he had to improvise.

Taking six odd looking kunai out from his back pouch, Kouken threw each one about fifteen feet apart in a slight curved shape. These kunai were special, and far different than his average ones in his thigh pouches. These were notably longer with a completely white handle and a single red streak going up the middle of the blade. These were his sealing kunai, used for all his barrier needs. They were longer because he wanted them to drive further into the ground like a spike and the white handle was actually just the sealing matrix wrapped around it. The red streak was his blood that was charged with his chakra which allowed remote activation. Flashing through some hand seals, the kuani began to glow before a golden barrier sprung up between each of them forming a slight 'U' for the bandits to be herded and trapped in. Each one was about ten feet high and very translucent, as if it was a breath away from dispersing. And it was the truth, he was using the most basic form of barrier seals and the stipulation was the further away a kunai is from its connecting pylon, the weaker the barrier will be; but Kouken was confident it would get the job done. Although, it was another thing he was adding to the list of projects.

"Here we go…" He mumbled to himself as he brought the tiger seal to his lips and began spewing out volley after volley of razor-sharp, enflamed flower petals at the approaching stampede of brigands.

The first thing to hit him was the screams of terror and despair. He watched in paralyzed horror as men missing chunks of their body came crashing into the golden barriers he erected. They clawed and pounded at it even as the area around them was engulfed in flames.

The next to hit him was the desperation. He could taste it in the very air, coating his tongue in a sour tang. He saw men with flower petals the size of shuriken's embedded into their bodies attempt to climb on top of the shoulders and backs of their compatriots in hopes of going over the barrier. He saw them turn on each other, each not wishing to be the platform for another's survival. The result was a disgusting display of human nature and gore; people were thrown into the walls of flames he created or were trampled to death as they brawled to get to the top. It was utterly pathetic and Kouken, not for the first time, felt disgusted that he was of the same race as them. But then he felt revulsion at himself, for it was his actions that invoked such… he couldn't find the word for the highest level of disgust that would justly describe what he saw and felt in his fellow humans…That was the word that described the scene perfectly. Humanity.

The tortured and agonized face of the man he tormented just yesterday flitted across his vision and he froze, seal still to lips with soot covering hand and cheeks. He was no different than these primates before him. In fact, he was _worse!_ He had all this intelligence, skill, and power and all he used it for was to do what these bandits did, but _better_ and more **efficiently.**

The thought, or realization, came out reluctantly and lingered like a foul smell; or perhaps it was just the burning bodies?

A rustling drew his attention from his musings and he saw with surprise as one of the men actually managed to make it over the barrier. He was covered in blood, soot, and dirt, but he made it all the same.

"Hahahaha this is how it should be! Ya'll signed up with me to help me! Consider this a job well done, lads!" He laughed at the angered, dismayed, terrified, pleading, and dead reactions of all his fellow bandits from the other side of the barrier. He must've been the leader of this despicable band of degenerates and from his quality of armor and weapons, that didn't make him all that much.

Kouken landed silently behind the man, some twenty feet away, and waited for him to turn around. He wanted to _see_ the face of the man that made this mission a necessity. He wanted to _witness_ who was responsible for taking…something he couldn't understand away from him and turning him into a monster.

Kouken wanted to find out if turning into a monster to kill one was the only choice, regardless if it was the right one.

He saw the man turn in slow motion. First the twist of the hips. Then the turn of the shoulders. He could make out the side of his dirty face and the edges of his lips curled into a smile. As he was turned so that Kouken could already see half of his face he knew what the man's fate would be… and apparently so did the man.

"Shinobi…just a fucking kid too." The man snarled in disgust and fully turned to face him. Kouken remained silent, but speared the man with enraged eyes. His vest fluttered slightly with a breeze, carrying over a cloud of ash and the smell of burning flesh. His bandana that covered his hair had just strands of pink poking out the front while the rest fell onto the back of his neck. He looked like the stereotypical ninja child that civilians fear. A boy whose been made into a monster.

"It was a dream that lead me here. In the beginning it was such a sweet spot. No shinobi patrols, plenty of villages to pick at, and enough forest to hide away in…I really did believe it was a dream." The man said to himself as he sent a hard stare at the murdering child. He reached for the spiked mace at his belt and that's when Kouken moved.

In a flash he was inside the man's guard and had shoved a kunai in between his ribs, with his palm resting on the ring. The man stared down, shocked not at the outcome but the manner in which it was reached. He coughed once coating the boy's face in blood and grabbed the bandana on Kouken's head.

"…Now I understand…it was a nightmare-ugh!" He whispered to himself before Kouken shoved the kunai the rest of the way into his chest. His body went completely stiff, eyes just as wide, before gravity took control.

The man slid off his blade and he ripped his bandana off with him, letting his wild mane of mellow pink hair flutter in the winds of ash and death. He stared down dispassionately; no, dissatisfiedly as the man laid on his back with wide eyes looking forever upwards. Kouken gripped the small blade that killed him tightly, still dripping with the man's blood and he burned the image into this mind.

 _'This isn't the blood of a monster, and that's not the face of one either…The only monster here is our nature, and the fact that I thought I could justify myself being one to kill another…'_ The sight of men dying, the images of him torturing, the smell of flesh burning…none of them could create the same level of disgust that he currently felt towards himself. The man he killed was no monster like he had hoped; or at least, he didn't have that cliché evil look that he thought would've made his actions justifiable. The man looked no different than any other civilian. Black hair, brown eyes, slightly chubby build, and the calloused hands of a farmer.

"Tch…" He scoffed and looked away and towards the barriers he erected. Their power was about to run out, running only on the chakra he stored within the blood streaks, but the job was already done. He flashed a sign and the barriers dropped and the kunai shattered into iron dust. A breeze swept them and a cloud of ash away, revealing the blackened and scorched earth that surrounded a mound of still burning bodies. Some of them hadn't even been burning long enough for their last horror and pain-filled expression to melt away. Others were terrifyingly in the middle of the process.

He walked past them and into the ruined camp.

Tents were shredded, racks of items were tossed about, the bodies of those not fast enough lay either in the same state as the tents or disgustingly swollen from the snake's venom. To his right a man's stomach was grotesquely large, while the rest of his frame was as lanky as a blade of grass. He turned his head away moments before the stomach popped and shot out a fine red mist of blood while his intestines spilled out like ramen.

Everyone was dead…their mission was complete.

 _'Ya know…if it was just a few months earlier, I would've considered this Christmas…All this loot and riches to be taken…I wouldn't have even hesitated; hell that probably would've been my reason for attacking…'_ His train of thought was interrupted as rustling from his left drew his attention. He relaxed a moment later at seeing his sensei come out from a barely standing tent.

"Nice job there brat; not a single escapee." She nodded to him and pulled out a scroll and pursed her lips. "I'd say this was a success, but we still got to find all the items that were reported stolen, so we got work to do. Don't forget to search the bodies. It's unlikely, but sometimes these fuckers have been known for carrying around shinobi scrolls. Those are considered the victors' spoils, but you get paid extra for turning it in for the public shinobi library." She closed the scrolls and looked around, taking stock of the damage as well as figuring out where the stolen goods might be.

"I'll search the tents, you get the delightful task of the bodies. Now hop to it! We're breaking record times here kiddo!" She said happily before disappearing in a burst of speed. It would seem that she was actually serious about breaking record times…Perhaps it's because Kouken isn't still used to all this carnage, but her childish joy seemed highly disrespectful.

 _'Maybe that's how she copes…'_ He thought to himself as he went about searching the bodies. _'How will I cope?'_ He wondered numbly. That was how he felt as he went about his disgusting task; at first he thought it was exhaustion, but the way his body reacted almost autonomously while he, himself, searched for something inside himself…Yes, the only way to describe how he felt was numb.

Twenty minutes went by and he was nearly done, he had searched every corpse in the camp and put all their potentially ill-gotten goods in a sealing scroll. The only person left was the boss, no point in searching the nearly ten foot tall mound of burning corpses since everything valuable would've been burnt away already.

He finally reached the leader who remained just as still as when he left him. There was not a single difference to be found. It was almost as if he was a statue…His morbid fascination disappeared as he crouched down to perform the final bout of searching.

"Of course…" He muttered to himself as his patting revealed a scroll like object in his pocket. He really was hoping for the man to not have anything of value on him, especially not a jutsu scroll. He didn't want anything more from the man, in fact he didn't even take back his bandana that was clenched in his rigor mortis fueled grip. But if the man did have a jutsu scroll, Kouken knew, albeit very reluctantly, he would take it and use it. Grabbing the scroll he sighed with relief as it appeared to be an inventory of all their gains and from where and whom they had taken it from.

Kouken was actually surprised that a farmer-turned-bandit would keep such a detailed ledger, but he chalked it up to something even a farmer would do during times of harvest.

Having a moment to himself finally he stood and swept his eyes around the destroyed campsite with a far off look. The mound of bodies still burning, swollen bodies still popping sporadically, and ash and death lingered in his mouth. The whole thing didn't take more than ten minutes and already 75 men lay dead. It had taken the work of just two people, one of which was still a child. His eyes swept down to the life-like statute the bandit leader had become.

 _'I wonder…would anyone ever remember you? What even was your name?'_ The question hit him hard in that moment his eyes saw his own face plastered on the body of this unnamed farmer turned bandit and he wanted to look away. But where would he look too? The mound of bodies or the engorged and grotesque victims to his sensei's sea of snakes? Both contained faces that would never have a name…both would be equally unremembered. He elected that since he couldn't look at himself for he was too disgusted and that his surroundings provided a truth uglier than what he wished to witness he would look to the sky.

The wind swept the green and vibrantly colored canopy gently, some leaves lost their grip and fell around him while others were carried away by the wind. He deeply desired to be able to breathe in fresh clean air and suddenly felt claustrophobic by all the death that surrounded him. His body moved on command to that desire and he found himself in the highest branch of the tallest nearest tree. His head pierced the canopy of leaves and he got an uninterrupted view of that gorgeous sunset.

One deep breath and a slow exhale. One deep breath and a slow exhale. One deep breath and a slow exhale. He stared at the new colors of the waning sun and wondered who the artist above was that painted the sky was. Had he seen what he had done here and took inspiration? The pink's and purples turned to crimsons and oranges creating a soirée of blood and flame.

"Alright Pinky! Are ya ready to go?" Anko asked as she jumped out from nowhere and landed on the branch next to him. "You got a scroll too? No way, so did I! Although I already know this one, so looks like this'll be for you." She said with a slightly sad tone of voice and tossing him her scroll.

"No Anko-sensei, this is his ledger." Kouken replied in a hollow voice. The numbness he felt was so intense that his own words sounded as if they came from somewhere far away. His mouth felt like it was full of marbles when he tried to speak, but eventually he gave up. His voice was still sore from the botched _Ototon: Bakufuu Weebu_ and he could use that as an excuse for his silence if needed.

Anko nodded and pocketed the ledger, but stared critically at her student. Normally, Kouken would've sent her a questioning glance back at her, he usually doesn't tolerate being stared at, but instead he just stared off apathetically into the forest. She sighed and looked around, taking stock of all the carnage around them. The plan was a bit rough on the boy, but they didn't have the numbers to divvy up the responsibilities. She had casted her best area wide genjutsu so that majority would fall under the tide of her _Ninpo: Mandara no Jin_ , but many still got away…He must've killed twenty of them…slaughtered them and forced to watch so that none escaped. She felt like she made a lot of headway with the boy last night, but no talk would do this justice.

She pushed too hard and this was the result.

Slapping a cheery grin on her face she smacked the boy upside the head, making him fall to the ground. "We're celebrating when we get back! It'll be on me and I bet you might finally lose your prude status!" She said happily and dashed away, leaving the boy to chase after her.

They ran for quite some time, stopping around midnight to set up camp and ate quietly on some game that Anko managed to catch. It was Kouken's turn to cook, and the meat tasted as bland as he had felt. His appetite left him picking at the rabbit and only consumed some because he knew he would need his energy for the trek back home. His eyes watered and felt uncomfortably dry from how long he had been staring into their campfire and was absorbed completely in his thoughts. This allowed Anko a chance to study him without getting a look or twist of words to shift focus. From the time she had spent with him she had found out that despite being undoubtedly gifted in the shinobi arts, he was an absolute suave with his words. It reminded her a lot of her sensei; not the monster he became, but the one she hated to remember…the one that was a father to her. But now the boy looked nothing more than someone who was close to breaking, and it was up to her to either rebuild him, or reinforce him.

"Without any bullshit," she said suddenly, pulling his eyes away from the flickering flames, "Without any bullshit or dance of words…I want to know what you are honestly thinking right now." She saw him mull over the thoughts and fumbled to say something, anything really, that would've answered her question. His mouth opened and closed several times before setting into a grim line. Anko watched him struggle and sighed; this kid had no idea how hard this is for her to speak about.

"After my first kill, the one after the mercy-killing," she clarified and threw a small branch into the campfire and watched the flames swell slightly, "I had felt empty as you do now. I had felt robbed of something, as I'm sure you're feeling right this very moment…But I would say the emotion that was most prominent was how shocked I was." She stopped and watched as he had looked down at his hands, registering all that she said and surprised to find such striking insight to how he currently felt.

"I never had any fear of death past the next reasonable person," Kouken let out a snort at her comparing herself to a reasonable person and she felt a small smile tug at her lips as well, "but I was well aware at how much a finality death was. That was why I was so shocked after my kill, because I couldn't wrap my head around how _easy_ it was." She looked as if she could say more but like Kouken her lips opened and closed before pulling tight and silence enveloped the both of them once more, only disturbed by the sounds of the forest and crackling of the fire.

"Do you…" Kouken finally said uncertainly and struggling to articulate his thoughts, "do you even know any of their names?" He asked surprising her sensei by how odd of a question it was. She didn't have to think very long, or at all, because the truth was the only thing she would give her student.

"No. Why?" She saw his eyes fall to the flames again and didn't need the light it provided to see how troubled he was.

"You said it was how easy it was that you couldn't grasp…In a world where it's that easy to take a life, it's just as easy to be forgotten." Anko had to fight back a sigh at the mention of being forgotten. This fear of his was something that she had no idea on how to combat. She couldn't beat it out of him like a bad habit or simply train him to not fear. Everyone had something to fear, but what she couldn't let his fear shape him.

Anko thought for a moment, choosing her words carefully so that she may finally get through to the child. "Then I guess you'll just have to trust me and train hard." She finally said with a wide grin, completely shattering the sober air and leaving Kouken confused. Anko flexed her muscles and gave her student a hearty, Guy-esque thumbs up, "I'll make you so fucking strong that nobody will be able to forget you!" She said laughing and started mocking Guy with a terrible henge and speaking about flames of youth.

Kouken couldn't help but let his amusement be heard, after all, an Anko with a bowl haircut and huge eyebrows in a green jumpsuit saying "HA-HAH's!" and speaking of Guy's flames of youth while cursing was quite a humorous combination. It was simply so stupid and wrong on so many levels, but it managed to draw tears from the pink haired warrior-boy and they didn't stop for quite some time.

 **Next Day**

They departed from their campsite around dawn and ran in calm silence. It was a peaceful morning and, as always, the weather was pleasant. Dew clung to the ground and small haze that was illuminated by the rising sun painted the whole forest in a mystical light. Kouken may have been more of a fan of sunsets, but Anko preferred the sunrises instead. There was something calming about a new day arriving with such purity and assurance and it greatly appealed to her. After about three hours of running with only slight breaks the two ran into a chunin patrol and she handed off the ledger while Kouken handed off the sealed scroll of items. They were to secure the site, dispose of the bodies, return the items to its rightful owners, and mark the area for an increase in patrolling. If bandits were able to find a hole in their rotation then it needed to be fixed fast. One day it's bandits, the next it could be an invasion from Iwa.

When they passed the giant wooden gates of Konoha the two were greeted with two sleeping guards Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane. One had his head buried in his arms while the other was leaning back in his chair with a foot propped on the desk and arms folded across his chest. Both were snoring slightly and Kouken smiled mischievously at the chance to get some pay-back at the two.

"Hey Anko-Sensei," he called out quietly causing her to turn towards him with a questioning look on her face that only deepened upon seeing that strange glint in his eye. He motioned her to come closer and whispered in her ear giving her smile that nearly spilt her face wide open.

She stood back and nodded with glimmering eyes and was enveloped in a cloud of grey smoke. Once the cloud disappeared in Anko's place was a perfect replica of their beloved Third Hokage complete with tilted hat and smoking pipe. She moved right in front of the gatehouse and gave Kouken a nod who was on the other side.

Kouken smiled sinisterly and let two, thorn-free, vines slither into the little hut. One wrapped tightly around a leg of the tilted chair that Kotetsu was sleeping in while the other hovered over the exposed neck of Izumo. A tug and flick later and two crashes could be heard from inside. Kotetsu jumped to his feet from the floor clutching a kunai and breathing wildly, looking as if he was a sneeze away from a heart attack and his friend looked as if he was dragged from the sleep realm, but had left majority of his brain there. Drool hung from his lip and he looked around with half-lidded eyes, rubbing a red mark on the back of his neck where he had been slapped.

"Kotetsu!" Izumo groaned after gaining some awareness, "Why the hell did you slap me?" He accused his best friend who turned towards him still clutching his kunai.

"Me?!" He exclaimed incredulously pointing at himself, "You were the one that kicked the chair out from under me!" He raged and caused the once sleepy Izumo to rise from his seat and get in his friends face.

"Oh yeah?!"

"YEAH!"

"Ahem." Said the Anko while henged into the Third Hokage.

Izumo and Kotetsu whirled around and yelled simultaneously, "I'M SORRY! DO YA/YOU NEED SOMETHING?!" The anger instantly drained from their eyes upon seeing who they had just yelled it. Coincidently, so did the color in their face.

What ensued was probably the most distressed and chaotic apology Kouken and Anko had ever seen with the two falling over each other and shoving to get out of the box to apologize to their leader. Anko and Kouken couldn't hold in their laughter any longer after the two tripped over each other and tumbled out of the gatehouse and groveled at the fake hokage's feet.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA"

"Ahahahahahaahahaahahahahaahah"

The two walked away, no free of henge and hiding, leaning on each other and clutching their stomachs as laughter pained their sides. Anko snorted like a pig and sent Kouken into a wheezing fit complete with red face which caused Anko to laugh all over again at seeing his face match his hair color. The two continued to walk away and were drawing the attention of all those that were up and about at this hour. After settling down Anko put a hand on her student's shoulder.

"Alright brat, it's about 8 A.M. I'll go do the mission report and you can have the rest of the day off; HOWEVER," She enunciated clearly with a raised palm and a serious face, "You must report to this location at 2200 hours." She handed him a slip of paper with an address and stared stern faced at her apprentice. He looked at the address briefly then sent his sensei a crisp salute. After she dismissed him she watched him turn on heel and disappear into the crowds of Konoha.

 _'Even subconsciously, he's acting like a shinobi…'_ She shook her head with an exasperated smile that showed a portion of pride. He was a natural shinobi, lethal and driven, but under her wing she would teach him how to be an assassin on the battlefield. She lingered there for a bit, hands in her pockets and staring at the crowd he submerged into before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

She reappeared in front of a rich and warm wooden door that had the leaf's insignia emblazed upon it. She raised her hand to knock, but like all other times, a voice from behind had signaled her in.

"Come on in, Anko." Said the voice of their aged yet deadly leader. Anko opened the door with a shake of her head and stepped into a room occupied by Inochi Yamanaka, Danzou Shimura, and Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Anko stared curiously at the entourage and in the Yamanaka leader's hand was a folder that contained a picture of some flamboyant looking Yamanaka. Although she only got a glimpse of the picture before he shoveled it into his jacket she could make out a streak of green hair dye in the flamboyant man's blonde locks. A cough drew her attention and focused her towards her leader.

"Inochi was just finishing up a report about something else, but being that he is your student's psychologist, I don't see the harm in letting him stay for this." He said reasonably while Inochi took a seat on her right. Anko felt a small pang of anger at the fact that her student was looked at like some basket case ready to blow. She could easily remember when the doctors looked at her the same way…

"Congratulations are in order my dear. You completed the clearing in record timing and every single item was accounted for and returned. From what our patrols are reporting the neighboring towns are all praising you and claiming that they'll only contact your team from now on." He chuckled at her beaming face and lit a pipe, "It would appear that you'll be getting quite a few requests from here on out."

"However, we are curious as to why you didn't report to the village to question their people about the bandits as we advised. Care to explain your actions?" Danzou asked in his serious tone of voice that made her smile instantly vanish.

"Well, you have an ANBU squad following him at all times so I'm fairly sure you already know the answer to that question." She bit out in a forced respectful tone. Hiruzen and Danzou shared a confused look at Anko's apparent anger for their caution. She was all for the boy to be monitored before, but now she was spitting venom for him. A curious development that actually made Hiruzen smile; it was good that the two were bonding.

Hiruzen raised a placating hand, "Please Anko, we're only trying to get your report. We may have seen everything, but we didn't see it through your eyes. Tell us what you thought about the boy and what your reasoning was." The words seemed to get through to her and she huffed her frustration out and collapsed into the chair next to Inochi. She kicked up her feet on the Hokage's desk and began cleaning her nails with a senbon needle, much to Danzou's irritation.

"I didn't want to waste time talking to a bunch of disgruntled and scared civilians, or pick through which info was reliable so I took the opportunity to teach him information gathering and interrogation." She said in a bored tone while ignoring the worried look from Inochi and Hiruzen. Danzou, however, nodded in agreement. Disgruntled and scared civilians hardly ever provided solid intel, and direct interrogation often bore much more bountiful fruit.

"Are you sure that was a wise move, Anko-san?" Inochi asked his coworker worriedly. The boy was already rather dark, exposing him to more of it would only harm his state of mind. At least, that was Inochi's professional opinion.

"Yeah, it was," She said rudely and looked up from her senbon needles to spear her coworker with a glare; interrupting her was rather rude. "I had to see what laid underneath his tough skin. I needed to see if there was really just a boy under there or if it was something…else." She paused, struggling to find the right word for what she meant. She knew easily what she wanted to say, but it felt insulting towards Kouken to suggest he was anything like that monster.

"And did you find your answer?" Hiruzen asked with grave attention. He had truly hoped that he wouldn't have to snuff out such a bright flame, but he couldn't afford to let his own weaknesses wreak havoc on his village like it has in the past.

Anko smiled and it wasn't those face splitting grins she employed to creep people out. It was a small one that tugged slightly at the edges of her lips and seemed almost sad. It was always hard to discern what she was feeling when it wasn't one of the more extreme emotions like rage or desire. She let out a tired chuckle and shook her head

"He's just some kid with shitty luck." Everyone was silent but the relief in the room was palpable. Finally there was proof that they weren't just hopeful fools. They all waited for her to continue as she seemed to be struggling with her words again.

"He'll turn into a fine shinobi. I promise." She said with a quieted passion. Hiruzen seemed to accept the answer with a smile, but internally he was disappointed he couldn't get more from Anko about it. He knew that it must've been hard for her to explain since that meant she would have to revisit old memories, but he needed more than just her promise to put the issue to rest.

He would keep the flight risk status on, and the ANBU will continue to monitor him as well. This was a step in the right direction, but they needed more. Hiruzen mentally sighed, _'The journey of a thousand miles always begins with one step as they say…I don't think these old bones can take the waiting for a thousand miles.'_

"This is good news indeed, but the boy still went through some scarring events on the mission. Have him take tomorrow off and visit Inochi so he might evaluate the boy." Hiruzen said and Anko nodded. Normally it was the sensei who comforted their student after their first kill, but she had already had their talk and now it was time for something else. She would gladly let Inochi take the whole psychological damaging side of this issue; she couldn't deny that the man had helped countless shinobi, some of her friends included.

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" She said with a salute and disappeared in a shushin after she was dismissed. The three occupants sat in silence for a moment before Inochi broke it with a serious tone.

"What are we to do about the other issue?" He asked pulling the folder from his jacket.

"Hand it here, we'll monitor it and should there prove to be a threat like you believe," Hiruzen said trailing off as Inochi handed over the folder that was in his hands at the start of the meeting.

"Then we'll eliminate it as we've always done." Finished Danzou in a deadly serious tone of voice. Inochi turned and stared hard at the mummified man for a moment before nodding.

"By your leave Hokage-sama." The platinum blonde said and disappeared in a swirl of leaves after getting a nod from his aged leader.

Danzou rose from his seat on the couch and took the one across from his friend. Hiruzen sighed and pulled out two cups and some tea and poured them both a glass. They drank in silence before

Danzou spoke what was weighing their minds down in his usual gravely tone, "You know that war is brewing. We must prepare for the worst, and fight for the best."

"You're right, but I fear for the children." He sighed and took a sip of his tea, "To have another generation raised on war…" He shook his head in shame.

"They've lived long enough to remember peace, Hiruzen. They won't be raised on war, they'll be tempered by it." Danzou reassured his old friend in his usual grim way. The two remained as they were, sipping their tea and hoping for a brighter tomorrow.

 **With Kouken**

Kouken had arrived home a while ago and was sitting in his workshop drinking his favorite tea. He was supposed to be monitoring his sealing array's and studying up on his other fields like chemistry, but he couldn't find the focus for it. He simply sat there with a blank expression, sipping his tea.

Every time he tried to focus on anything shinobi related the smell of burning bodies filled his nose and the sounds of agonized screams echoed in his ears. So he sat there, drinking his tea and staring blankly at his notebook.

 _'I need to focus, Anko-sensei thinks I can become strong and I can't let her down!'_ He thought to himself as he put his tea aside and gripped a sealing brush tightly. The memories of his first mission will continue to haunt him, a fact he was already sure of, but he couldn't let it hamper him like this.

 _'Save the nightmares for when your sleeping, Kouken. For now, you've got work to do.'_ He told himself and got to work on his strange sealing project.

Currently he had two on-going projects. One was using his strange chakra Dispersion seal to feed chakra into his barriers, giving it a constant stream of power and making the barriers much more powerful. That was his theory at least. At the moment, however, all his Chakra Suppression-turned-Dispersion seal could accomplish was dispersing the targets chakra to the wind. With some tinkering he figures he would be able to find a way to create some sort of link between the suppression seal and his barrier.

His second project was more of an experimentation with no real goal in mind. He didn't really care what he was making, he was only fooling around with the concepts he knew and seeing how he could apply them. Still, the project seemed to be leaning towards some form of chakra battery or charging seal. His current problem was that all batteries have limits, capacities that are eventually reached. If he wanted to store chakra to be used in such a way then he would have to finish the storage seal that he had created, but if he did that then the seal would have a limit to how much it could hold. He wanted a way in that it could hold as much as he wanted, but the second problem brought on that required the storage seal's completion was the transfer of chakra from seal A to seal B.

As of now, his only space bending seal was the simple storage scroll; something that he had liberally experimented on and augmented. His only plan to create a bridge that would transfer chakra from one seal to another would be to place one half of the storage seal on seal A and the second half on seal B. Though he wasn't sure that the storage seal, regardless of all his tweaking, would be able to stretch as far as he wanted and if the stretching would affect the capacity it could carry. That was the tricky question, how does one measure the carrying capacity of a scroll that sends things to a small pocket dimension? Such questions would only be answered through proper testing.

"After all…Discovery requires experimentation…" He mumbled to himself as he drew his sealing arrays and wrote out his theories.

 _'As of now, I have no way to test the chakra dispersion seal other than knowing it should work in theory. So I'll have to put that project on hold until I can find a way to test it, but I can still tinker away with the chakra battery seal. First I'll find out what its capacity is,'_ he thought to himself as he decided it was finally time to start initial testing. He drew up the seal with a complete storage seal and set it aside, eager to test it at Training ground 44.

Pushing out of his seat and standing with a groan he stretched and cracked his back. Shaking the stiffness out of his limbs he looked at the clock in surprise that it was nearly three in the afternoon already. Feeling his stomach voice its disproval at being ignored for so long Kouken decided that he would eat out today. Donning his shinobi gear, something that he wore more often than his normal outfits, he stepped out of his house and into the streets of the RLD.

As time went on he felt more on edge and he couldn't place the reason. Part of him had thought Anko was tailing him, ready to pounce as she had done countless times in his training before, but he had already checked for that. He ruled out genjutsu because he already disrupted the flow of his chakra twice.

Searching his surroundings, he found that the streets didn't seem any less different from what they normally are in the Red Light District and that's what caused him to pause. Looking around, he could see the streets were devoid of children and the few people out and about were skittish and flighty. In any other part of the RLD this was common, but this was his block, liberated and oppression free.

 _'So why does it feel like the Old Man and his entourage never existed?'_ He thought to himself with some apprehension. A sound to his left snapped his head towards an alleyway and he frowned at the shadows within.

"You disappear for a few days and the first thing you do is frown at me?" A voice asked with offended incredulity as a familiar hooker came strutting out of the alley to meet him in the street. It was the Old Man's contact.

"We were looking everywhere for you! Where the fuck did you run off too?!" She seethed as she stabbed him with a withering and…disgusted glare? Why was she disgusted at him? He had felt his anger and pride rear its ugly head as his lip curled in disgust, ready to deliver a verbal lashing that would've torn this _creature_ in front of him to shreds.

Or at least, he would've, had she not have grabbed his hand and began pulling him down the street. He followed behind before he realized the situation and tore his hand from her hand and defended himself from her accusations.

"I was on a mission! It took me out of the village and I just got back." Her glare didn't lessen, but it did change targets. It turned with her head and speared into the distance as she began walking away with him following a step behind. He took the time to recollect himself and adopt the usual mask of dry indifference that he held whenever he walked amongst _civilians_. Normally, they would've been considered sub-human in his eyes, especially after what he witnessed on the mission and how the people behaved, but right now he was working with these people.

"You got some fantastic timing, Kid. Really dicked us good by leaving when ya did." She said in a tone that caused Kouken to get aggressively defensive.

"I'm a shinobi. I apologize for not checking my schedule with yours; I'm sure I missed out on some killer _special_ you had going." He replied venomously that elicited a scoff from his neighbor.

"I got one going on right now. I'll punch you in the dick, free of charge." She said and tossed her hair over her shoulder. Kouken's eyes roamed over her form once more, but in an appraising manner. She looked pretty rough, as if she didn't shower or sleep for the past day and a half.

"You look like shit, what happened?" He asked bluntly which caused her to turn on heel and glare fiercely at him. The intensity of the look took him by surprise and he unconsciously found himself folding his arms across his chest.

"YOU happened! You left us high and dry and we got cucked real good! I've been _gathering_ information almost non-stop since you left." She said with a snarl of disgust that surprised him once more. She was a hooker and here she stood acting disgusted with the methods in which she acquired her info…Kouken never felt a closer relation to a working girl than at that moment.

His arms fell back towards his side and his high and mighty look vanished replaced with something much softer than what the hooker ever saw him wear. Silence reigned between the two as she stood there glaring at him a while longer before turning and continuing with her walk. The silence stretched on and she found herself shooting her young coworker glances.

"What? No snide remark, or disgusted look about how I did it?" She asked rhetorically and defensively. To her surprise, the pink haired shinobi merely shook his head.

"No, you did what you had too to get what you needed. Besides, there are far worse methods to be used…" He said softly as he stared at the ground in front of him. The answer threw her for a loop and she found herself huffing out the readied insults and the silence dragged on.

"What happened? While I was gone, I mean." He asked showing a timidity that she almost mistook for shame. But she knew better, that kid would never feel shame for letting down the likes of her.

"You'll see." She said as she pushed open the door to the Old Man's base of operations.

Immediately he was besieged by the bustle and sounds of activity within. The place was more packed than the last time he was here and he saw working girls of all ages running about with what seemed to be blood soaked rags and bandages. Men were laying about the floor propped up on pillows and many emitted some kind of sound of pain. Their injuries ranged from bruises and swelling to gashes and stabs. It looked as if this was some war camp for the wounded.

Kouken's concern for the people bled through his shinobi mask, but it would never get picked up by any around him. As he walked towards the back, passing and stepping over people he got glares and harsh whispers from anyone not busy or injured enough to spare the time.

"Told you he wasn't here to help us." Said one male voice to his partner next to him.

"Yeah, you were right. He's only here to leech off us." The man replied to his friend whom he recognized as the man who had hopefully identified him as their savior the last time he was here.

"I bet he's here to shake down the Old Man!" One of the younger working girls said in alarm to her older coworker.

"He's nothing but a thug." Came the final whisper before he walked into the elder man's office without knocking. Again he found the man in a formal kimono, dragging slow, measured strokes across the giant poster. Still the ink dotted the paper sparsely, giving away little to what it might become. As of now it simply looked like a bunch of random shit. Shit that Kouken had no interest in.

"Your manners seem even more deplorable than the last time I saw you and yet your eyes seem much wiser…" He said not even looking up from his workings. Kouken stood there for a moment before taking his seat before the man, this time electing to at least sit straight, but still improperly.

"What happened?" He asked completely out of patience for any of the man's games. Said man simply put the brush down by the side of the paper and rested his hands on his thighs. He stared sternly at the pink haired boy and silence filled the room for a short while.

"While you were gone, your plan of sparking a gang war had backfired. It had caused the death of your scapegoat, but failed to strike off the other two officers." He said and Kouken bit back a curse. His actions were rushed, not measured as they were whenever he does something against thugs and gangs. He was eager to consider to the deed done and get to studying his rewards and for that others had suffered.

"Do you know who the gang you targeted was?" The man asked in a tone that told Kouken he had already knew the answer. "They were the _Koshi Enmu_ , The Withering Smog…Tell me, do you know who _leads_ the Withering Smog?" He asked with a curious yet hard edge that Kouken faltered under.

"No, I don't. I'm assuming since you are asking it is relevant to the situation at hand?" Kouken asked in a bland tone to cover up the fact that he felt like a child being admonished.

"The man who leads them is called Raiken Itsubaki, and he is not some average gang-banger. Raiken Itsubaki is the disgraced son of a since passed Yakuza boss. The details are not important, but his actions had caused the death of his father and the exile of him and all that worked with him. He managed to find a home for him and his merry band here in our district, and quickly assumed control of three blocks above us." He pulled out a map from his sleeve and rolled it out towards the side and pointed to a highlighted area.

It was a block by block map of the Red Light District with places grouped and highlighted various colours. He pointed to three purple blocks shaped like a tri-level pedestals used in games between countries above their two green. " _That_ is their territory," He stressed pointing with a bony finger before hovering over the two green, " _this_ is ours." He stared at Kouken to see if he followed and Kouken stared blandly back at him.

"I can see that. Now what does it have to do with us?" Kouken asked, anger rising into his voice at being treated like some academy retard.

"Well that's odd, because you didn't seem to know who they were or who lead them when you had staged a gang war between them, but now it's as if I'm telling you the sea is blue!" The man finally yelled and threw his hands up. Silence took its usual place in the room and Kouken felt as if the tension was leaving through any cracks available. The old man sighed and rubbed his brow wearily.

"Raiken Itsubaki was looking to subsidize the Silver Riders' for a long time, but couldn't because it would've upset the power balance between the local gangs. He's a smart man, and is used to dealing with actual organized gangs. Your ploy was seen through and he quickly swept to the remaining two officers with a deal. You forced those two officers right into his hands and he was able to engulf the remainders of the Silver Riders'. Since then, he's been attacking our territory and destroying any progress we've made. Many are wounded and many more are retreating back to the usual status quo of our district." The news was grave and Kouken felt solely to blame. However, he couldn't have **not** gone on the mission and felt that the old man needed to be aware that his shinobi duties come first.

"I understand that you had your mission," he said, cutting off any retort the boy had prepared, "I knew the moment you left the mission control office; but _we_ need to know in advance. We had nobody to turn to and were left to the dogs. This mess is yours to clean, but be aware that this raises a problem, _what do we do when you're away?_ " Kouken sat there contemplative, running scenarios through his head before he checked the time. He still had plenty of time before Anko's meeting and resolved to gather information on this gang so he might come up with a plan.

The Old Man must've picked up on the boy's gears turning and sighed. "They won't be making a move for a while; their aggressive actions have triggered some discomfort from neighboring gangs and it will take a while before they can move in for the kill. However, the same goes for us. This situation needs to be resolved thoroughly, but you can't use aggressive means. We'll be viewed like any other gang by the local police force and the key is to stay off the radar. You've got a month at best to get this under wraps, but I need a solution within the week."

Kouken nodded and rose from his seat, electing to leave out the door the man had in his office so he could avoid all the glares he received on his way here. As he exited into the street and disappeared amongst the rooftops, there was only one thought circulating through his mind.

' _What the hell am I gonna do?...'_

 **AND DONE! Sorry for the long wait time on this one. I was mostly waiting for more reviews to roll in and had nearly all parts of this done before my spring break started, which it ended on 3/28/16 as I am writing this. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it and enjoyed the plot and character development. I know some of you may see it as slow, but I promise you that it'll pick right up once the graduating class that Naruto and Co. are in graduate. Right now, I'm spending this time to progress his character and set the stage for something I'm eagerly awaiting. As always thanks to all the reviews, those few that did, and especially thank you to all the follow and favorites. Any concerns, comments, or questions can be answered with a PM or a review, don't be afraid to ask. Literally, ask me shit! I want feedback and ya'll are cuckin me here! Anyways, Peace out!**


	10. Chapter 8: Alt Ending

**Hello again everyone! Another quick update, but this time I promise it's not an author's note begging for more reviews. Nay, I say! THIS, is a REWARD! A reward to you, my kickass and invested readers. I had just uploaded Chp. 8 a day ago and the number of reviews I got were a total surprise! Never had I gotten so many reviews for a single chapter and it wasn't just the quantity either. The quality and actual thought put into the reviews were the best kind of feedback I could ever hope for! It told me so much about what you all liked a lot and were looking forward to discovering, so I decided to do something a little nice for ya'll. Here lies an alternate ending to chapter 8, a whopping** _ **seven**_ **pages I decided to completely cut out. It picks up right after, "** _Every time he tried to focus on anything shinobi related the smell of burning bodies filled his nose and the sounds of agonized screams echoed in his ears. So he sat there, drinking his tea and staring blankly at his notebook."_ **It's the second paragraph under the scene change that is labeled "With Kouken" that comes after Anko's mission report. I hope you all enjoy it and I hope you let me know which ending you prefer; this one had a significantly…denser, I suppose, tone to it and I took it out because I feared the descent into such a darker tone would clash with the recently lighter ones and make my character out to be a bi-polar mess. To me, it's all about the character progression; I want to get it** _ **just**_ **right. So if you have anything to say about this ending in contrast to the one you read, drop a review, lemme know which you liked better.** **SLIGHT NOTE:** **In this one, the time he spent cooped up in his workshop was significantly longer, that's why it's night time and I included what I** _ **originally**_ **planned for Anko's scheduled meeting with her student. But I've rambled on enough, go forth, my ravenous and audacious readers! And as always…** _ **enjoy the show.**_

 **Chapter 8: Alternate Ending to The Nature of Man**

' _I'm not going to get anything done like this…'_ He thought with a sigh and pushed himself away from his workbench. For the first time ever, he didn't feel like training, and because of it he was lost. He had no idea what to do to occupy his time with. Growing up it was always the same routine; train, work, steal, and nothing recreational could fit into that schedule.

He found himself walking out of his apartment and floating about the streets like some wayward ghost. Hands in his pockets he strolled the streets that he called home. The Red Light District was always a dirty place to live, but it had a certain charm that he couldn't ignore. The streets felt _alive!_ Vibrant and breathing as if it was a being that thrived off various acts of debauchery.

 _'Human's disgust me, but the way they live is so enticing… like a moth to a flame, I judge from afar while secretly envying them.'_ He chuckled as the neon lights and signs illuminated his path. _'I'm a bloody hypocrite. A coward whose too afraid to admit that I want to live as they do.'_ He saw a hooker come walking out of an alley wiping her mouth of her latest labor and frowned. He wanted to enjoy what that man in the alley most likely did, but there was something that kept him from doing so. It felt like pride. The lip he curled in disgust at the working girls turned on himself whenever such thoughts slipped through the cracks of his mind, but now they ran rampant.

His eyes were glued to the form of the hooker, her curves exposed to fresh air due to her sparse clothing and he could feel his own tighten. Unbeknownst to him, this hooker was making her way straight towards him and his frown was still clearly etched on his face.

"You disappear for a few days and the first thing you do is frown at me?" She asked with offended incredulity. Kouken snapped out of his stupor and stared confusedly at the woman in front of him. He had never seen her before in his life…

"We were looking everywhere for you! Where the fuck did you run off too?!" She seethed as she stabbed him with a withering and…disgusted glare? Why was she disgusted at him? She was the one who just blew some random fucker on the street for money! He had felt his anger and pride rear its ugly head as his lip curled in disgust, ready to deliver a verbal lashing that would've torn this _creature_ in front of him to shreds.

Or at least, he would've, had he not finally realized that this was the Old Man's informant. His anger fell at his feet and his confusion came back full force. He was caught flat-footed and stuttered out a pathetic answer.

"I was on a mission! It took me out of the village and I just got back." Her glare didn't lessen, but it did change targets. It turned with her head and speared into the distance as she began walking away with him following a step behind. He took the time to recollect himself and adopt the usual mask of dry indifference that he held whenever he walked amongst _civilians_. Normally, they would've been considered sub-human in his eyes, especially after what he witnessed on the mission; but his thoughts of suppressed desires had forced him to view them differently. It wouldn't stay like this, he'll pick himself back up and reestablish his boundaries that separated him from these insects. He was sure of it.

"You got some fantastic timing, Kid. Really dicked us good by leaving when ya did." She said in a tone that caused Kouken to get aggressively defensive.

"I'm a shinobi. I apologize for not checking my schedule with yours; I'm sure I missed out on some killer _special_ you had going." He replied venomously that elicited a scoff from his neighbor.

"I got one going on right now. I'll punch you in the dick, free of charge." She said and tossed her hair over her shoulder. Kouken's eyes roamed over her form once more, but in an appraising manner. She looked pretty rough, as if she didn't shower or sleep for the past day and a half.

"You look like shit, what happened?" He asked bluntly which caused her to turn on heel and glare fiercely at him. The intensity of the look took him by surprise and he unconsciously found himself folding his arms across his chest.

"YOU happened! You left us high and dry and we got cucked real good! I've been _gathering_ information almost non-stop since you left." She said with a snarl of disgust that surprised him once more. She was a hooker and here she stood acting disgusted with the methods in which she acquired her info…Kouken never felt a closer relation to a working girl than at that moment.

His arms fell back towards his side and his high and mighty look vanished replaced with something much softer than what the hooker ever saw him wear. Silence reigned between the two as she stood there glaring at him a while longer before turning and continuing with her walk. The silence stretched on and she found herself shooting her young coworker glances.

"What? No snide remark, or disgusted look about how I did it?" She asked rhetorically and defensively. To her surprise, the pink haired shinobi merely shook his head.

"No, you did what you had too to get what you needed. Besides, there are far worse methods to be used…" He said softly as he stared at the ground in front of him. The answer threw her for a loop and she found herself huffing out the readied insults and the silence dragged on.

"What happened? While I was gone, I mean." He asked showing a timidity that she almost mistook for shame. But she knew better, that kid would never feel shame for letting down the likes of her.

"You'll see." She said as she pushed open the door to the Old Man's base of operations.

Immediately he was besieged by the bustle and sounds of activity within. The place was more packed than the last time he was here and he saw working girls of all ages running about with what seemed to be blood soaked rags and bandages. Men were laying about the floor propped up on pillows and many emitted some kind of sound of pain. Their injuries ranged from bruises and swelling to gashes and stabs. It looked as if this was some war camp for the wounded.

Kouken's concern for the people bled through his shinobi mask, but it would never get picked up by any around him. As he walked towards the back, passing and stepping over people he got glares and harsh whispers from anyone not busy or injured enough to spare the time.

"Told you he wasn't here to help us." Said one male voice to his partner next to him.

"Yeah, you were right. He's only here to leech off us." The man replied to his friend whom he recognized as the man who had hopefully identified him as their savior the last time he was here.

"I bet he's here to shake down the Old Man!" One of the younger working girls said in alarm to her older coworker.

"He's nothing but a thug." Came the final whisper before he walked into the elder man's office without knocking. Again he found the man in a formal kimono, dragging slow, measured strokes across the giant poster. Still the ink dotted the paper sparsely, giving away little to what it might become. As of now it simply looked like a bunch of random shit. Shit that Kouken had no interest in.

"Your manners seem even more deplorable than the last time I saw you and yet your eyes seem much wiser…" He said not even looking up from his workings. Kouken stood there for a moment before taking his seat before the man, this time electing to at least sit straight, but still improperly.

"What happened?" He asked completely out of patience for any of the man's games. Said man simply put the brush down by the side of the paper and rested his hands on his thighs. He stared sternly at the pink haired boy and silence filled the room for a short while.

"While you were gone, your plan of sparking a gang war had backfired. It had caused the death of your scapegoat, but failed to strike off the other two officers." He said and Kouken bit back a curse. His actions were rushed, not measured as they were whenever he does something against thugs and gangs. He was eager to consider to the deed done and get to studying his rewards and for that others had suffered.

"Do you know who the gang you targeted was?" The man asked in a tone that told Kouken he had already knew the answer. "They were the _Koshi Enmu_ , The Withering Smog…Tell me, do you know who _leads_ the Withering Smog?" He asked with a curious yet hard edge that Kouken faltered under.

"No, I don't. I'm assuming since you are asking it is relevant to the situation at hand?" Kouken asked in a bland tone to cover up the fact that he felt like a child being admonished.

"The man who leads them is called Raiken Itsubaki, and he is not some average gang-banger. Raiken Itsubaki is the disgraced son of a since passed Yakuza boss. The details are not important, but his actions had caused the death of his father and the exile of him and all that worked with him. He managed to find a home for him and his merry band here in our district, and quickly assumed control of three blocks above us." He pulled out a map from his sleeve and rolled it out towards the side and pointed to a highlighted area.

It was a block by block map of the Red Light District with places grouped and highlighted various colours. He pointed to three purple blocks shaped like a tri-level pedestals used in games between countries above their two green. " _That_ is their territory," He stressed pointing with a bony finger before hovering over the two green, " _this_ is ours." He stared at Kouken to see if he followed and Kouken stared blandly back at him.

"I can see that. Now what does it have to do with us?" Kouken asked, anger rising into his voice at being treated like some academy retard.

"Well that's odd, because you didn't seem to know who they were or who lead them when you had staged a gang war between them, but now it's as if I'm telling you the sea is blue!" The man finally yelled and threw his hands up. Silence took its usual place in the room and Kouken felt as if the tension was leaving through any cracks available. The old man sighed and rubbed his brow wearily.

"Raiken Itsubaki was looking to subsidize the Silver Riders' for a long time, but couldn't because it would've upset the power balance between the local gangs. He's a smart man, and is used to dealing with actual organized gangs. Your ploy was seen through and he quickly swept to the remaining two officers with a deal. You forced those two officers right into his hands and he was able to engulf the remainders of the Silver Riders'. Since then, he's been attacking our territory and destroying any progress we've made. Many are wounded and many more are retreating back to the usual status quo of our district." The news was grave and Kouken felt solely to blame. However, he couldn't have **not** gone on the mission and felt that the old man needed to be aware that his shinobi duties come first.

"I understand that you had your mission," he said, cutting off any retort the boy had prepared, "I knew the moment you left the mission control office; but _we_ need to know in advance. We had nobody to turn to and were left to the dogs. This mess is yours to clean, but be aware that this raises a problem, _what do we do when you're away?_ " Kouken sat there contemplative, running scenarios through his head before he checked the time. He was going to be late to Anko's meeting!

The Old Man must've picked up on his alarm at the time and sighed. "They won't be making a move for a while; their aggressive actions have triggered some discomfort from neighboring gangs and it will take a while before they can move in for the kill. You've got a month at best to get this under wraps, but I need a solution within the week."

Kouken nodded and rose from his seat, electing to leave out the door the man had in his office so he could avoid all the glares he received on his way here. As he exited into the street and disappeared amongst the rooftops, the only thought circulating through his head was, _'What the hell am I gonna do?...'_

 **With Anko**

"Bahahahahahaha!" Anko laughed uproariously with a drink in her hand as she watched a chunin get kicked in the dick by a drunk kunochi. She was carrying a tray of drinks to her usual booth filled with all of her friends and ducked abruptly to let a stool go soaring past her head. She placed the tray on the table and everyone grabbed their drinks with gusto.

"Man Anko! This place is _waaay_ better than the jounin lounge!" Said a slightly drunk and earnest Asuma as he stared at a waitress's ass walking by. Said waitress tossed a wink over her shoulder at him and received a glare from his raven haired, ruby eyed companion.

"Yes my youthful friend! But I have to ask, what made you choose this no less youthfully burning establishment over our usual one?" Guy asked with his constant bravado.

Anko shrugged and downed another shot of sake, "I felt like a change was needed. Besides, this place is the absolute TITS to get shitfaced in!" She exclaimed jubilee causing Hayate to chuckle and shake his head with a cough.

 **Outside the Bar**

Kouken picked himself off the floor as a bar stool laid by his foot. He had just arrived and was about to enter when the fucking thing came flying out the goddamn window and hit him in the fucking head!

"Who in the bloody fuck…" Kouken grunted to himself as he gripped the stool tightly by its leg and stomped towards the door. Anko may have given him the wrong address as this place was a bigger shithole than some places in the RDL, but he was not leaving without returning the stool to its rightful owner. And making sure it doesn't separate itself from their ass anytime soon.

He kicked open the door and waved the stool above his head, lacing chakra with his voice and flooding the room with his arura. " **WHO THE FUCK THROWS A FUCKING STOOL OUT THE GODDAMN MOHTERFUCKING WINDOW?!"** He roared angrily as the joyous and rambunctious atmosphere tapered off. The entirety of the bar stares at him momentarily and Kouken immediately recognizes numerous shinobi head bands. Still holding the bar stool above his head with a much weaker glare the silence is so awkward Kouken felt like apologizing and setting the stool by the door.

"Hey Brat!" Said one voice as a familiar mop of pineapple shaped purple hair bobbed around behind all the people. And like a switch every resumed their drinking and destructive merriment while Kouken is left with a bar stool and twitching eyebrows.

Shoving his way through the crowd with bar stool still in hand he gets shoved by one drunken monster of a man and falls face first into the pillowy chest of some kunochi. Placing a palm on one heavenly slope he pushes himself up enough to see a fist cocked back and feverous rage before he is sent sailing over the crowd and bar and landing on some other shithead's table…with bar stool still in hand.

"Fucking dyke…like I would willingly shove my face into those flabby tits…" He muttered as he rubbed his cheek. A sharp stinging sensation emanated from his left ass cheek and a resounding 'Slap!' filled his ears. Body going ramrod straight and eyes blanking out for a second he turned his head with creaky bones to see…to witness who had the fucking **balls** to slap his ass like some _bitch!_

"Hiya there brat! Glad you could make it!" Anko said with a giant grin with her hand still firmly clenching his ass cheek. Kouken felt his chakra swell uncontrollably and made his skin hot to the touch, actual steam rising from his body.

"Anko…" He grounded out with a face that looked as if the smile he was plastering was doing physical and spiritual harm to his self, "Dearest and benevolent sensei of mine…Why am I in such a place under your strict orders and why…oh why…is your hand ON MY FUCKING ASS?!" He yelled and threw a punch at her throat which she dodged by lolling her head sideways. Said punch went through the booth's wood and ended up hitting some poor sod in the back of his head, sending him face first into the table and knocking him clean out.

"So this is him, huh?" Came a voice from behind him and a cloud of smoke washed over his shoulder. He craned his head slightly to see who was talking to him and could make out only a scrappy beard in the dim lighting of the bar.

"Yeah and who the fuck are you? Anyone ever tell you that you got pubes glued to your chin?" He remarked rudely before a snort came from another direction and his sensei was sent into a fit of laughter. He rolled off the table and felt sharp glass and liquid roll down his back. Shaking his shirt out he tried to get all the glass off it before he realized he was still holding the stool and set it down to sit on. His laughing sensei turned towards him and wiped a tear from her face.

"Oh man..hey kiddo! Nice entrance although you kinda smashed our drinks," She frowned momentarily before smiling again and jumping from her seat, "Not to worry! I'll get more! Acquaint yourself with my dear friends while I'm gone eh? And do try to keep your face out of their tits!" She said before erupting into uncontrollable laughter and walking towards the bar.

Kouken sighed and shook his head before turning back towards the group of faces looking at him curiously and one angrily.

"…The fuck you looking at?" He asked bluntly and receiving some chuckles and others mutters. All Kouken knew was that he couldn't see shit in this lighting and that he would _kill_ Anko after this was all over.

Little did Kouken know that once the night was over there were good chances that he wouldn't even remember it at all.

 **Ask and ye shall receive.**


	11. Chapter 9: Conflictions of the Mind

**Chapter 9: Conflictions of the Mind Bear Scars on the Soul**

A rather short old man, standing at 5'3 could be seen walking down a rather rough looking street with equally rough looking people. The man's clothes were rather threadbare and some parts were as wispy as his hair. His nearly bald head was covered in wrinkles, dirt, and liver spots while his face appeared just as worn. His left eye appeared to be bulging out of its socket rather uncomfortably and was coloured murky-white. His other eye couldn't even be seen through his long and frazzled eyebrows and squinted eyelids, so it was quite the mystery as to how this decrepit old man was able to see.

His back looked painfully hunched and sloped on his right shoulder making his left look like a peak of a mountain, jagged and stabbing upwards. The only item that seemed to have any level of value was his old, beat up cane that had splinters all over it and tape covering bits and pieces of it. The only reason it might've had value was because if it managed to hold his weight up while he walked then the wood must be made of sturdier stuff.

He flashed a disgusting and gap-toothed smile at a stall owner and received a nod in return. He began making his way over to said stall to inspect their wares when two of the rougher, and younger, looking men shouldered him roughly as they walked by.

"Ahgh!" The elderly man cried out in a feeble, raspy tone as he was sent tumbling to the ground.

One of the muscled thugs, whom had a liberal amount of tattoos looked down at the hurting man and sneered.

"Watch it, _old man_. You don't wanna mess with us! We're the Withering Fog!" He said triumphantly before sharing a rather cliché nasally laugh, given his scummy personality, with his compatriot before the two made their way down the street. As they walked people scurried out of their way and many averted their eyes from the still struggling elderly man on the ground. One man, however, did not shield his eyes, or his rage at the actions of the two despicable thugs.

The owner of the stall that the elderly man was trying to make his way over too was openly glaring at their retreating backs and rushed out from behind his booth to help the man up.

"Easy there friend, why not let me lend you a hand." He said in a kind tone despite his natural deep voice. He offered a hand to the old man who looked at the appendage, then the man attached to it briefly, before accepting it.

The stall owner appeared to be a man in his late forties, with short black hair that was speckled with greys and a similar looking beard. He stood at nearly six feet tall and had broad shoulders and thickly muscled arms. He had a small belly to him that seemed to stem not from lack of exercise, but from age. He had sharp, distinctive eyebrows that resembled mountains and light brown eyes. All in all, his kind actions and strange build made him stick out like a sore thumb in the RLD, but the elderly man accepted his help all the same.

Being hoisted up and steadied by the stall owner the elderly man waved his hands dismissively and picked up his cane. "Bah!" he said in a disgusted tone, "Kids these days lack any level of respect! In my day, that would get you a solid beating." He said angrily as he hobbled next to the stall owner as they made their way to his stall.

"You could tell the ugly ones were the disrespectful ones growing up. Beatings made you suffer in looks, but did wonders for your manners." The old man continued in a crotchety tone that got a nod of agreement from the stall owner.

"I agree completely; those punks need a good, long lesson in respect." He said before gesturing to a seat behind his stall's table for the stranger to sit down at. After helping him ease into the seat, much to the old man's dismissive waves, he began checking the man for injuries in the least patronizing way he could.

"The names Haidou Kaizen," the man grunted and wiped his dirty hand on his apron to shake the old man's hand.

"A good name," the old man said with a nod. "A strong one, for one strong in spirit." He continued and chuckled at the man's questioning glance. "Just because I'm old enough for a good breeze to kill me doesn't mean I'm stupid, boy. I saw how everyone skirted away from them like ants." He said in a tone that bordered on disgust, but fell more towards disgruntled acceptance. "But not you."

"Aye, not me. I refuse to cow-tow to some punk who wasn't even shitting properly when I was building with my ole man." Haidou agreed and stopped fretting over the man and took a seat next to him, watching the people pass by and trading with the few that stopped at his fruit stall.

"Nobody's been building in this part of town for quite some time; I should know." He finished with a chuckle that was shared by his fellow disgruntled member of the RLD.

"Aye," he said with a clenched jaw that showed just how chiseled his features are. "I used to live in the commercial district. Had a carpenter business with my father and brother while my mother and sister ran a small grocery store." He said sorely and the brief tension was clear to older man.

"Kyuubi?" The man asked simply and got a sharp nod in return. "My condolences, and even more for having to go from such success to living here." The old man said with a sigh and he propped his hands atop his cane. "I walked these streets not even a week ago and it wasn't this bad," he said splaying a hand out to the street filled with scared and tense people, "Hell, I have more backbone than these sad sods and mine's curved like a fishhook!" He barked out and got a snort of agreement from Haidou.

"A week ago may as well have been a year ago; things changed, and I'm beginning to wonder if there even is a rock bottom for this place to hit." Haidou said as he handed a bag of apples to someone and pocketed the cash before sitting back down with folded arms, glaring at nothing.

"What happened then?" The old man probed curiously.

"Some gang got kicked out of their turf and got shoveled like the disrespectful shits they are into our neighborhood. Except our local gang didn't fight them," He scoffed and a resentful chuckle escaped his lips, "Noooo, our gang had to invite them in! Absorb the assholes to increase their numbers." He let out a sigh and all his pent up anger deflated with his posture. "The result is angry gangbangers with wounded pride taking it out on the people of this neighborhood for what happened in their own."

A silence neither calm nor tense occupied the stall for some time, nearly a half an hour of them just sitting there watching the people come and go, and their fears following. Haidou was beginning to think that the old man had died on him and was close to poking him just to be sure when he spoke in a hushed tone.

"The people those gangbangers got thrown out by aren't some new gang…" He said and motioned for Haidou to lean in, "It was the people finally getting sick of their shit and tossing them out on the curb." Haidou's head rose with a slightly incredulous look plastered on his face before leaning in again, "Apparently, they got some shinobi who lives in the area whose helping them out, doing the muscle work and cleaning the streets of the filth so that the people can take control of their business and houses again." The man said and Haidou leaned back into his chair and nodded to himself.

"Impressive and fortunate for them, but property and houses aren't what needs to be controlled here." He said trying to actually sound happy for them, despite the fact that it was them who shoveled their problems to his neighborhood.

"Aye," The old man said with a frim nod and his squinted eye never looked more securitizing as it scanned the tide of people, "Fear has got a grip on the mind that rarely lets go. What this place needs, is someone to make those they fear afraid. Like those two thugs," he said jerking his head down the street, "Forget manners; they need to be taught fear." He shook his wrinkled and gnarled fist at the thought and Haidou had a small laugh.

"You sound as if you're the one to do it." His chuckling tapered off and the old man smiled and shook his head.

"Perhaps if I was a few decades younger…but why take a job someone else is already doing?" He asked rhetorically and Haidou hummed in disinterest.

"You mean that shinobi you were speaking of? Bah. Not likely we'll be seeing any of his help around here. Him and his already dealt with their problem, and nobody sticks their neck out for another here." He said with resigned disgust before a crash was heard and a commotion was caused by some testy thugs down the street. The old man hummed and stood with strained effort, almost as if one could hear his bones groaning in protest.

"Perhaps, but you stuck your neck out for mine. All the ninja needs is information on where to hit and you'll wake up each day with cleaner streets." He flashed another smile and began hobbling away leaving the man to his discontent thoughts.

 _'Tch, and I'll bet he'll even leave some change under my pillow too…'_ Haidou didn't want to believe that help was coming, because he knew it wasn't; the only thing that came to the RLD was trouble.

 **With Kouken**

Kouken sighed as he rounded a corner and disappeared into an alley way. His appearance was vastly different than its usual and he looked as if some child bought an old man kit as a gag. Truthfully, that was exactly what he had done. The giant bulge of his hunchback turned to be a large plastic mound that had straps crisscrossing over his chest. With a fake rubber bald cap and some make-up Kouken's face looked far older than its youthful fourteen.

"You know, I've heard of cross dressing before, but I can't say I've ever seen old man roleplaying." Came a rude yet snickering voice from further in the alley. Kouken sighed and straightened his back as much as the plastic mound could allow and stared at the sky in exasperation.

"Why is it that I always run into you in some alley?" He asked more to himself as he continued to remove all the props and make-up. Said voice merely stepped into the light and revealed the hooker that was the Old Man's informant.

"I am a hooker ya know, alley ways are the closet thing I'll get to an office." She said somewhat ruefully with a raised eyebrow still questioning his state of dress.

Kouken snorted a laugh at the self-depricating joke and peeled the rubber bald cap off, revealing his usual pink hair to be flattened by a hair net. "I needed a disguise." He explained simply before tearing the hair net off and shaking his matted locks free.

"I thought you shinobi could henge into anything you wanted?" She asked as she folded her arms over her somewhat revealed chest and leaned against the dirty wall with her hip sticking out slightly.

"Yes, but henge's disperse with any sort of contact. I've discovered the best disguise is make-up and other things while using the henge to only refine the image." Kouken further explained while taking a small scroll that was tapped to the inside of his thigh out and unsealing his usual set of ninja gear.

The hooker simply stood there and watched the boy in front of her with a curious, yet guarded gaze. It wasn't even two hours after he had gotten the news from the Old Man and he was already gathering info. _'Either he feels guilty, or he's got a helluva work ethic…'_ She thought to herself before becoming slightly discomforted by the boy's body. Already it was hardened into the physique of someone much older. Lean abs and muscles covered his body tightly, but his fair skin, which she just noticed was much lighter than Konoha's usual tan complexion, was speckled with scars. Her eyes were drawn to a rather long and jagged one on his left bicep. It looked newer than all the others.

"A centipede." He grunted out with his vest hanging from his mouth and hands strapping his pouches to their respective spots.

Her reverie was broken and before she could ask for some clarity the pink haired boy turned his back to her showcasing even more scars and was pulling his skin tight blue turtle-neck on.

"That scar you were staring at," he said nonchalantly, "it was from a centipede."

"Must've been one helluva centipede to give you that scar."

"Yeah, and now it's dead." He said with his usual dry tone of voice that ended the conversation rather bluntly. The hooker shook her head and muttered to herself.

"Just like this conversation…Anyways," she cleared her throat and Kouken turned around completely clothed in his usual attire, "Gathering info is great and all, but we need a plan. We can't make the same violent moves you did last time, so how we gonna kick out the combined gangs of the Withering Smog and the Silver Riders'?" She asked directly addressing the elephant in the room. If Kouken was to appreciate anything about the hooker it would be her directness. You got no bullshit from her, and that suited him just fine.

"Right now, we need info. Whatever plans we do or don't make will be dependent on what we know about the situation." He said as he pulled his brown gloves tight over his hands and clenching his fists. "I'm not gonna endanger you or your coworkers by asking them to use their services, but I'm sure they can get the gossip from the working girls in the neighborhood. As of now, I have no plan, but the sooner I get some solid intel on what the working relationship between the Silver Riders' and the Withering Smog are, the sooner I'll have one."

"Was that why you were speaking with Haidou?" She asked curiously as she toyed with one of her curls.

Kouken's eyebrow raised slightly at her knowing his name; he did not take the man to be the type to seek comfort in the arms, or thighs, of whores.

"Lose that look," She said with an affronted tone, "I can know people outside of my clientele." She was clearly offended but Kouken couldn't seem to care less, opting to lean against the wall and stare at her until her pride receded. She glared at his aloof and bored dark blue eyes that seemed to actually absorb light before she sighed.

Those eyes always creeped her out.

"I know him because he made some waves when he first came to our esteemed shithole." She said sarcastically as she waved a hand, gesturing to the RLD. "Him and his wife came here after the Kyuubi attack; they weren't here for more than three months before he started making trouble for the Withering Smog. Apparently, he was trying to make the RLD a better place for his wife." She said in a cynically sarcastic tone of voice while she checked out her finger-nails.

"Aren't you the bleeding heart." Kouken said sardonically which got a shrug from the jaded but youthful hooker. He waited for the biting retort that comes with any of their conversations but found none, "So what happened to them?"

She shrugged her shoulders once more, "I don't have all the details, but from what I know it's only Haidou now. He settled down not long after that." Kouken could see it clearly now, the rage Haidou felt was far too close to the surface for him to hide, but there was something keeping him in check. It would seem the lesson the Withering Smog had taught him had stuck. There went the idea of using Haidou to energize the neighborhood to take matters into their own hands.

"To answer your original question, it was one of my reasons. He seemed to most expressive out of any of them and I figured I would get the most info on the area from him. Although, he could prove useful." He said more to himself than his compatriot aloud which got a rather strange reaction.

Her eyes flicked up from her nails finally and locked onto his. There was an edge to the air that he didn't understand, but it was clear to him that he somehow managed to upset her. It was only in that moment did Kouken realize she had the most…unique green eyes he had ever seen. Perhaps a much younger and less jaded version of herself would've sported near emeralds, but now they looked like the moss one would find growing on the oldest of trees.

"Oh?" She asked with an airy chuckle that reflected anything but amusement, "Useful eh? I'm so _glad_ that you managed to find value in an otherwise worthless being." Her tone was scathing and she shoved herself off the wall, "Perhaps one day we all might be so lucky to be deemed _useful_ in your eyes." She said as she pushed past him, her shoulder checking his suddenly.

Kouken felt his eyes roll at the display of defiance. That wasn't the right word…Pride perhaps? He felt the thought slip through his fingers and he couldn't bring himself to care. It was a rather ridiculous display of whatever, didn't she realize that he could easily make her disappear?

Kouken stayed in the alley a moment longer after the hooker had left, and rather haughtily he added. His mind was flicking through numerous scenarios in which he resolved the issue at hand, many of which didn't make it past his second throng of hypothetical situations. He knew that Haidou was useful, he just had to figure out how to go about using him. After a while he realized that his mind was too conflicted, too full of unnecessary thoughts for him to effectively plan and decided to go train rather than continue beating his head against the metaphorical wall.

 **At the Hokage's Tower**

Hiruzen was found in his office, swarmed with paperwork and aided by his two teammates and ever present rival, Danzou. It was more of Homura and Koharu doing the work while the other two jibed each other back and forth with verbal barbs.

"Still on that chunin patrol Danzou?" Hiruzen asked with a smrik as Danzou growled at him, "If you need some glasses I'm sure one of my ANBU could walk you back to the retirement home to fetch them." He chuckled while Homura merely shook his head and Koharu groaned.

"Yeah, _I_ need help; aren't you the one who's getting all of _our_ help?" He retorted and tossed the file into the completed pile. Hiruzen's eyebrow twitched and he grabbed another forum to fill out.

"Should've let you take the damn seat, then we'd see who needs help." Hiruzen muttered to himself while Homura pulled his glasses off and sighed.

Rubbing his strained eyes Homura leaned back into the chair that certainly wasn't doing any favors for his back, "You both need to grow up, join the rest of us in our old age." He admonished them and Koharu hummed in agreement.

"Here's another report, Hiruzen," She said seriously gaining everyone's attention as she held a manila file in her hand with a red stamp labeled _Operation: Illumination_. That was the name for the operation Hiruzen commenced to gather more intel on the shadowy movements of late.

"What does it say?" Danzou said as he put his file down and leaned back into the couch, gripping the head of his cane tightly.

Koharu opened the folder and began reading off the contents. The first line read, "Snow Country and Kusagakure forge military and trade alliance."

Everyone shared a look of uncertainty. Both were rather small players, but both had some deadly advantages. Snow country was the most technologically advanced since the destruction of Sky and their war machines made up for their lack of manpower. Their inhospitable climate made it even more of a deterrent to attack so most villages usually just traded with them if they wanted their deadly tech. Kusagakure used to be a major player in the world, almost made it to Great Village status twice; once in the First Great War and again in the Second. The first time they had the overwhelming power of all the wandering clans in the area, which were greatly abundant. They had more bloodlines than even Konoha or Kiri and they had lived in the strange forests of Kusa all their life, mastering it completely.

Kusa was a menace with their plant jutsu and skill in guerilla warfare. The few times they launched an offensive, they always targeted a country's food supplies. They would poison the crops and ravage the soil, before using their plants to hide their tracks and retreat back to their forests. They would either wait for the enemy to starve, or let someone else wipe them out.

Any attack or invasion would end with the army losing to either the forest or the dangerous shinobi inside. Even today, people are convinced that the forest is always shifting. Kusa was only found and sacked the first time thanks to Hashirama's mokuton release. Turning the entire forest upon the village for the first time. Nearly no lives were lost in that campaign and Kusa was left in shambles. The second was with the aid of the Uchiha, Shimura, and Sarutobi clan, who used their great skill in fire manipulation to burn the forest down around them. That was the last campaign the Uchiha went on before Tobirama-sensei had slapped them with the Police Force duty.

Koharu cleared her throat and began reading, "Kusa and Snow sign military and trade agreements. Motive, unknown. Threat level, unknown. Recommend closer surveillance. Preliminary opinion as follows: Snow could never expand their hidden village because of the lack of food to sustain themselves; their tech makes up for the low number of shinobi, but they mainly use it to trade for food. Kusa has an overwhelming abundance of food and have a low number of shinobi themselves. In exchange for lower prices on food supplied by Kusa, Snow now could expand without obstacles. Kusa's threat level increases as they are now equipped with Snow's tech for a dramatically lower price."

She closed the folder and handed it to Hiruzen who flicked through the rest of it with narrowed eyes.

"A deadly and beneficial alliance indeed." Homura said in a thoughtful tone as he stared out the windows behind Hiruzen and into the streets of Konoha.

Danzou's lips pulled into a tight frown, he remembered the Kusa Campaigns all too well. "We cannot allow this to go unpunished; we must-" he said in a harsh tone before being silenced by the raised hand of Hiruzen who hadn't looked up from the file yet.

"We cannot punish them, for there is no crime committed." Hiruzen said with a sigh as he closed the folder and leaned back smoking his pipe. "We have trade agreements with Snow country and that's it; However," he emphasized as he raised a hand to stop the protests from his shrewd friend, "We would be fools to ignore this, and write it off as a coincidence. Jiraiya tells me that Kusa has become quite a hard place to tap into, much less visit. They are going back to their old ways and consolidating their power at a very auspicious time." He puffed thoughtfully on his pipe as everyone thought of what should be done.

Koharu was the first to speak.

"We haven't bought anything from Snow in quite some time. Our agreement still stands but it does so with a rather thick layer of dust. We haven't much need for it now, but it can still be used. I suggest we use this agreement to get close with Snow, in guise of contracts and what not, we could gather info on a closer level." She pursed her lips in thought before muttering more to herself than others, "Of course, it probably would end in termination of the agreement…"

Hiruzen and Danzou shared a small smile at her words. Growing up Koharu was actually the best in class because she knew how to use people. She got close to everyone, getting lessons and tips while gathering information and when the time came, she pit people against each other. Make the worst match-ups for the toughest opponents, she controlled the battlefield like a master puppeteer.

"Agreed," Homura said as he placed his glasses back over his eyes and showed a calculating gaze, "We'll get no info from Kusa as Jiraiya has said, so the only logical choice is to go after Snow." Danzou looked at Hiruzen and nodded making the aged hokage flip through the folder once more. He took out a stamp and slammed it on the report's first page that contained the leading ANBU's recommendation. A green "Accepted" filled the page and he closed the file again.

With a snap of his fingers an ANBU in a cat mask appeared before him already kneeling. "Have this delivered to Operation: Illumination site. Tell the Commander that anything they need will be provided." He handed off the folder that contained the file to the cat ANBU who wordlessly nodded and dissolved into shadows.

"Not a very talkative fellow was he?" Hiruzen mused out loud before turning to Danzou with an antagonizing smirk, "Must be one of yours."

Koharu and Homura shook their heads at the fact that they're nearly seventy years old and the two of them still managed to act like they're fifteen. "It's a wonder Konoha is still standing." Koharu muttered and got a silent nod from Homura.

Silence eased its way into the room as everyone worked with their mind on Snow Country. After a while, it seemed that nobody would voice their thoughts, but Danzou begin his with a grunt.

"We all know that whoever we send to discuss this faux trading contract cannot be a jounin. We'll have to send in something less threatening, like a genin team." Everyone nodded, some more reluctant than others, but regardless of how uncomfortable they felt sending a genin team into the maw of the enemy there was still truth in what was said.

Hiruzen really didn't want to do this, but it was a necessity; a mission of the utmost importance. He sighed and swiveled in his chair, electing to face the windows that overlook the entirety of his beloved village.

 _'How many times did we say that during war? That the dangers were necessary and the sacrifices made could not be avoided? Is it us? Are we simply trying to comfort ourselves as we send our finest to death? How many shinobi have we lost to, "Missions of the utmost importance"?'_ He thought as he puffed his pipe, chewing on the old wood as he had done whenever the smoke failed to calm him.

He pushed his chair back around and resumed his efforts in the massive pile of paperwork, putting thoughts both grim and heavy out of his mind, knowing full well that the time for that mission has not yet come. His only hope was that by the time it did arrive, he would already have the answers he seeks, but he knew in his gut that it would take a fair few more sacrifices until he would have them.

 **With Kouken**

Kouken panted excessively as sweat dripped down his face. He had isolated himself in the Forest of Death after he had hit a wall with the situation of the RLD and decided that often times his best ideas comes to him when he's completely exhausted. It was also an excuse for him to be out here training despite Anko giving him the rest of the day off, but he doubted that she would actually care one way or another.

He had been toying around with his sound jutsu's; trying to master _Ototon: Bakufuu Weebu_ so he might be able to tinker with its uses later. His second goal was to be able to use his sound based sensing technique, _Ototon: Inin Kooru,_ outside of his apartment. That was the much harder goal. The problem was that the sheer level of objects outside were vastly greater than his apartment and if he wasn't careful about how much chakra he puts into the jutsu then he could overload his brain. That would probably send him into shock at best, or a vegetative state at worst.

Currently, however, his mind felt like it was cleaving itself in two and the occasional nosebleed wasn't a good sign. But he had to push himself like this, or things would never change. Not for the Red Light District, and certainly not for himself as a ninja.

 _'C'mon…'_ He thought with a grunt as he willed himself to mold the chakra once more despite the searing pain emanating from his cranium.

 _'Just..one more time…'_ He growled as the chakra began to vibrate in his fingers and he prepared himself for what was to come.

 _Snap!_

The sound of him snapping his fingers rang out in the otherwise quiet clearing and Kouken's body went ramrod straight. His eyes were either closed in focus or pain, but the expression on his face was definitely that of exhaustion. Images in grey and whites with thick and fuzzy blue outlines assaulted his mind; this was what he was able to see through sound.

Fifteen yards, the images were perfectly clear and easily discernable.

Twenty yards, the trees and creatures began to blur together. Their outlines fuzzy, but still manageable with some focus.

Twenty five yards, his mind was able to acknowledge the existence of things taking space there with a certain level of pain.

Thirty yards, everything is a swirl and his brain rejects any more of the information transferred.

"Ugh!" He grunted as his eyes snapped open as if he was physically slapped and he fell back on to the grass. His mind felt like jelly and thoughts floated by no faster or of greater import than clouds. His eyes felt loose and unresponsive as he looked up at the trees and the waning sunlight that painted the sky in beautiful hues of purple and orange. Sounds of the forest, from the buzz of some insect to the roar of something carnivorous, filled his ear intensely. If he were to resemble anyone it would be the opium addicts of that den he cleared out oh so long ago.

The thought spurred his mind into a slow crawl.

 _'That's right, the Red Light District…How do I get rid of thugs without violence?'_ he asked himself with a furrowed brow.

 _'It's not like I can ask them to leave…and it doesn't seem like I could spur any of the populace to seek out the help of the Old Man…'_ He didn't want to think right now, for his brain felt like it was leaking out of his ears and no pillow could've matched the comfort of the ground right now.

 _'I can't have the police handle it because those two Silver Rider officers know that a ninja was involved, not to mention it would be me alerting the police, which would then have me on their radar…What to do? What to do?'_ It was quite a problem he was facing. It was as if he had to solve a jigsaw puzzle without being allowed to look at it or be in the room. If he couldn't touch it then how would it get solved?

 _'There's also the problem of who'll help them while I'm away on missions? Ughhh! Do I still get jutsu scrolls for this or is this me fixing a fuck-up?'_ He groaned and forced his body to roll on to his side so he may eventually be able to get up. Not now, of course, but eventually.

 _'I hate jigsaw puzzles,'_ he said with clear annoyance, _'Be much easier if I just had someone else do it for me!'_ The thought was obviously childish; to push his own responsibilities onto someone else, but then it hit him like lightning.

"Wait..That's it!" He exclaimed to himself as he snapped from the ground and was sitting up without any of his previous expressions of pain or exhaustion. "I'll just have someone else report the gang! I'll get all the info, take out the two officers, drop off the incriminating evidence I've gathered, and have some local report the gangs!"

Kouken was on his feet in an instant, and in an instant he regretted the sudden motion. He winced and tightly shut his eyes, hand grabbing his head while the other was splayed out to his side in hope of easing his swaying.

 _'I can always tell him tomorrow I suppose…for now, a hot shower, meal, and quick rest would be the best for me.'_ He thought as he made his way to the tower. Normally he would've just gotten a bite to eat and then resumed his training, but he wasn't sure what to expect from Anko's meeting. Showing up to one that could potentially turn into one of her famous, "Surprise lessons" while exhausted would be insanity.

He stayed in the tower for quite some time, at least until nine o'clock, before he made his way towards the meeting spot Anko had given him.

Vine-whipping through the forests of Konoha, Kouken landed in a small clearing that had a river running through it. Checking the time, he realized he was almost fifteen minutes early, and he checked the slip she had given him to make sure this was the right place.

 _'Training Ground 7?...This looks to be the place, but why meet in a training ground when we got the tower?'_ He felt the ripple of protest that ran through his body at the thought of more training. He's been running all day, and days before that too, with little sleep or time to rest. He would've rested the moment he got home, but the RLD problem had taken precedence.

He shifted his weight from foot to foot as he stood awkwardly on the edge of the clearing. He knew that was an excuse, it wasn't the plight of his district's people that kept him from resting. It was fear. He was afraid to stop, to close his eyes for sleep that his body yearned for; he was afraid that everything he had done would catch up with him and the ghosts of those bandits would take their revenge.

He shook his head and walked into the clearing, sitting down by the creek and letting his hand dip into the refreshingly cold waters.

 _'What a stupid thing to fear…'_ He thought as he admonished himself, _'As if ghosts actually existed! They're dead.'_ He told himself forcefully, hoping that he could make his fears shrink. He closed his eyes and the scene of people burning, clawing at his barriers and screaming in agony had filled his mind. He jerked his hand from the water and drew it close to him, edging away from the river's edge and pulling his knees to his chest.

 _'See? They're dead, we made sure there were no survivors. Nobody to take vengeance.'_ He stared listlessly off into the woods, hoping that Anko would show soon for his thoughts proved to be quite…disconcerting.

His wish, or prayer, came true as a slight rustle, one that he barely even heard, had alerted him to her presence. Turning slightly he saw a grinning Anko tower over him.

"Not bad kid! I told you we would work on your situational awareness, and look how far you've come!" She splayed her arms out dramatically and her grin seemed to stretch even wider. Kouken tried to send her a convincing smile, but it seemed his sensei had seen right through it, and a more somber look invaded her face.

"Still shaken up about it, huh?" She asked and only got a fierce, prideful glare in return.

"It's nothing but petty fears. It'll pass with time; I'm sure of it." He said, attempting to sound full of conviction. Even to Kouken it sounded as if he was trying to convince himself, but his pride would refuse to admit that he needed such comforts.

"It's not nothing, kid." She said quietly as she put her hands in her pockets and stared off to her right, before motioning him to follow her. For a moment, he seemed as if he would stay rooted in his spot by the river, but eventually he got up and followed her through the brush. After a while they came to a new, smaller clearing where she sat down in front of a large onyx slab.

It was the memorial stone.

Kouken raised an eyebrow at the sight and his gait became more relaxed as he watched his sensei pull out a bottle of sake and three cups. It would appear that she had no inclination of practice and Kouken took a seat next to her.

She poured a cup for herself, then for Kouken which she handed to him and a third one which she placed on the pedestal leading up to the slab. They sat there silently while Anko gestured him to drink which he did.

"Blech!" He said as he struggled to swallow the disgusting liquid. He coughed for a bit and got slapped hard on the back by Anko, in an attempt to aid her choking student.

"Hehehe," she laughed as her student, "Having trouble there, brat?" She asked with a grin as he sent a half-hearted glare that only made her chuckling last longer.

"I can't believe you voluntarily drink this shit… _and_ consider it a good time." He added on after a moment of moving his tongue around, attempting to lose the burning sensation. "I know you're weird and all sensei, but there are simpler ways to self-harm." He said jokingly causing Anko to roll her eyes and shove him with her arm.

"Yeah, yeah brat; I get it, you discovered your sense of humor. Now if only you could do the same with your sexuality." She jibed back before a somewhat somber look adorned her face.

Kouken sat there uneasily, feeling the mood in the air, but unsure of what brought it on or if he should attempt to comfort her. Was she even sad? They were sitting in front of a fallen shinobi memorial so it wasn't like there was no reason for it, but Kouken was never really good at being personal. And so he sat there, holding his cup in between his legs, taking in the nightly sky and sometimes sending occasional glances towards his sensei. The silence finally broke after three minutes when a particularly stronger breeze came through, rustling the treetops that surrounded them.

"You had asked me…" Anko started, drawing her student's eyes and attention towards herself. She was glad it was nighttime; she would never have the courage to do something so… _sappy_ in the daytime where they could both clearly see each other. She clenched her jaw and took another swig of her cup.

"You had asked me, the next time we made camp after we cleared those bandits out, that in a world where it's so easy to die how can we be remembered?" She said and Kouken's eyes dimmed at the surfacing memories, if he could even call them that; it wasn't like enough time had passed for them to be considered a memory. Especially not when every time he closed his eyes he was greeted with burning bodies, blood soaked grass, and glassy eyes staring forever skywards.

"Do you know where we are?" She asked, pulling him out of his reverie."

"Hmm, The Shinobi Memorial Stone." He said quietly with a nod, he knew of this place well…his mother's name was on there.

"Then you know that every single name on that stone was a shinobi who had fallen in the line of duty. They gave the ultimate sacrifice for their comrades and the village." She said with clear tones of respect with a slight tenor to her voice. Kouken gripped the cup tighter and felt his lip curl slightly.

"They're _dead_." He said with emphasis that showed just what he thought of the fallen heroes. He knew he was supposed to respect them since they gave their life for the village, just as his mother did, but this stone made his blood simmer.

A fucking black, glossy stone in the middle of a training ground is what you get. That's it.

 _'Not a proper way of remembrance.'_ He thought as he filled his mouth recklessly with another shot of the disgusting swill. This time, he only scowled, but it wasn't completely the sake's doing.

Anko frowned and stared hard at him, who was not making eye contact as he continued to glare angrily at the memorial. Her eyes softened for a moment and sighed, "Yeah kid, they are; but you know what?" She said, not pulling his eyes from the stone, but succeeded in relaxing his shoulders.

"What?" He asked in a somewhat tired tone as he released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He felt his eyelids grow heavy and he fought back a yawn. This was exactly why he hated being angry; it always left him drained. Then again, it could be from all the stress and lack of sleep he had experienced the past four days.

"They're never forgotten." She said simply and another breeze came through, with leaves dancing on its coattails.

Silence filled the clearing as Anko had nothing more to say and Kouken seemed to be struggling with digesting her words. He wanted to let the snide and acidic remarks he had on his tongue fly, but he knew that they would have no purpose. He breathed heavily and let all the anger go, leaving his head hanging and his shoulders slouched. He was just so… _tired_.

"Are they?" He asked after a while, his words giving life to his hollow state of mind. "Are they really remembered? Do people come here and think about every name on there each day? Do they carry larger than life importance on the public's mind like the Hokage's monument?" He fired off each question quicker than the last and each one sounded to Anko like he already had his answer. She knew something was coming.

"The truth is they don't." He said and a mirthless chuckle escaped his lips as he stared listlessly at the stone before them. "Did you know I use to come here every day, and stand here for hours?" He said surprising Anko greatly that he even had someone to visit on here. In the back of her mind, she noted that the boy did carry a lot of similarities to Kakashi, but none of them were good.

"No, I didn't." She admitted as she continued to watch him from the corner of her eye. He shook his head as another small chuckle rumbled from his throat.

"My mother, Tsubaki Izoumaru, died during the Kyuubi attack." He said and Anko remembered from his file that she had died when he was two. The boy was trapped underneath rubble for two days until the rescue squads dug him out. "She was a jonin, and was supposedly incredibly strong. In fact, she was the ambassador to Kusagakure and it was because of her that they didn't raid our supply lines during the Third Shinobi War." There was a pause as his eyes were locked on to her name.

"I don't even remember her. Wouldn't know what she looked like if it wasn't for pictures." He admitted with a shrug before taking another pull from his drink, finally finishing it off and getting a refill from Anko. "I came here every day because when I stared hard enough, I could almost remember her voice… Each day I came no closer to figuring out what she was trying to say and eventually even that small whisper faded away."

"You were only two years old when she died, the fact that you remembered anything of her is uncommon to say the least." Anko finally said, trying to comfort the fact that Kouken had forgotten the last shred he had of his mother's presence. To her relief, Kouken nodded in agreement. At least he wasn't beating himself up about it.

"Yeah, I was, but what's Konoha's excuse?" He asked, finally allowing some life into his words in the form of a slight edge. "I was just a baby, but she devoted her **life** to the village. She was strong enough that she was in line to creating a clan filled with all her techniques. Hell," He said throwing his arms up in anger as he finally seemed to come alive, "She even managed to hold back an entire village from becoming an enemy and she didn't even use a single jutsu!" He shouted as his drink spilled slightly and his eyelids appeared heavy.

Anko made no comment, but she knew that was coming from his exhaustion and alcohol consumption. He must not have been paying attention, but the boy actually consumed three cups already.

"And still they forgot about her…" he said softly, finally tearing his eyes away from the stone that seemed almost mocking, opting to look at the ground beneath his feet.

Anko finally began to understand where the boy's fear of being forgotten came from. He was supposed to be the first son born to a woman who was on her way to creating a clan! A scion to inherit all her skill and prowess, and yet all he inherited was ash and rubble. He grew up in a dingy orphanage, committing all he had to succeed as a ninja only to fail, pushed into the reserves where he was treated like a ghost.

Nobody to care for him. Nobody to guide him. Nobody to remember how hard he worked should he fail.

Anko scooted over to him and poured the both of them another drink then she lighted two small braziers on either side of the stone with a small flame and smiled at her student.

"You didn't forget her, and the stone may not be all that you were hoping for but the truth is the stone isn't how they're remembered." She said warmly as she saw his eyes pick up from the ground and she finally noticed just how haggard he appeared. But there was a spark, a small ember of hope…

"The truth is they are remembered each and every day by the entirety of Konoha because the sun rises on the village and not rubble. She was a part of a force dedicated to making sure that the people of Konoha see another day, with less strife than the one before. She will never be forgotten because she is part of the roots that keep Konoha standing." Anko put a hand on his shoulder as his eyes flashed with remorse and he bowed his head once more.

"You inherited the most important thing she could've ever given to you…Her Will of Fire…"

The remainder of the night was spent in respectful silence for those no longer among them and it wasn't until nearly midnight did Kouken finally succumb to his exhaustion and liquor. Anko had carried him back to his apartment and laid him on his bed. She spared one look over her shoulder taking in how peaceful he appeared before exiting through a window.

 **Somewhere in Grass Country**

A white mane of spikey hair could be seen walking down a small, non-descript dirt road. The man seemed to take up the entire width of the road with his massive 6'3 frame and often his shoulders and clothing got snagged on low hanging branches. Indeed it appeared that nobody had walked this road for years and nature was slowly reclaiming it, but that was what Grass Country was like.

The flora here grew faster than anywhere else in the world, and that left little purpose for any big infrastructure like paved roads. Those that lived inside the untamable borders of this country built either incredibly small, or at the bases of giant trees. It made reaching villages practically impossible because the only way you would know you were near one was if you were practically on top of it; any other place, like Kusagakure which he was avoiding, built around the trunks or into massive trees.

"I fucking hate Grass country…" He muttered to himself as a branch smacked him right in the mouth. And Jiraiya spoke no lies, he held extreme annoyance and distaste for the country as it was always a pain to navigate, many of his contacts end up missing or either _reclaimed_ by the forest, and there were virtually **ZERO** hot springs around for him to do his research.

But he endured for his country like the true patriot he was.

Sarutobi had sent him to a handful of countries to investigate any substantial movements or clear indications of war. He went to Grass country first because he had lost contact with his inside guy without any prior warning that he was going dark. He had tried sending toads in to investigate, but many of them either died or came back with nothing.

He had been walking for days and knew that he was coming up on the spot where the village once stood. He paused to take a drink from his canteen when his instincts went haywire.

Acting as if everything was normal, he looked around trying to spot whomever was watching. The forest was deathly quiet and he knew he was being watched. He stretched and groaned, "Looks like it's time for a pee-break!" he said cheerily and walked around a massive tree trunk.

In a split second he created a Kage bushin and fell into the ground as if it was water. He watched his clone from a few feet away when a _pooft_ noise sounded out several times and faster than he could blink his clone was riddled with kunai.

Acting quickly he swam through the ground in the direction of the kunai and went through a rapid set of hand seals. He finally found the man in question, a tall and lanky built shinobi in long green pants and a tight beige tank top. He had blue hair and goggles that glowed red along with some strange weapon in his hands. Jiraiya moved out of the ground still holding the last seal of some set when he rushed the man.

"Gah!" The man screamed as he swiveled around hastily and more _pooft_ sounds came from the strange contraption. Jiraiya's eyes widened in alarm as four kunai came shooting out of the hole at the end and ducked into a roll to avoid getting killed. Coming out from his roll and standing sharply into the man's guard he shoved his hands into his gut and before the man could cry out he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Well that was rude of him…" Jiraiya said as he looked around to check if anyone else had saw what happened and noticed the four kunai that nearly killed him buried to the ring in the tree behind him. He whistled at the damage before feeling a trickle of blood fall down his cheek as a thin shallow cut ran across his cheekbone.

"The hell is this thing?" He asked himself as he bent down to retrieve the strange weapon that fell from the mystery man's grasp. It was about two feet long and weighed around fifteen pounds. It was solid grey and had a box like shape starting from a smooth angled stock that was black in color. At the side of the device sticking out was a small rectangle that came out when he tugged on it, inside were smaller and lighter variants of kunai and totaled to around twenty of them. He sealed the gun into a scroll and put it inside his pouch and went about cleaning up the evidence of their short tussle.

"Time to go pay our dear friend a visit." He said aloud as he built up chakra. "I wonder if he's still alive?" he mused to himself before disappearing in a plume of smoke.

He reappeared to a much different terrain; a place of gigantic insects and leaves with humidity that would make anyone wish to be anywhere else. Jiraiya smiled to himself as he followed the sounds of struggling and foul words that shan't be repeated and stepped into a clearing where five horse sized toads in battle armor with a U-shaped staves holding the mystery attacker. His gear was strewn about the clearing and only had his underclothing covering him. Jiraiya bent down and picked up a Kusa headband to inspect it.

"So mind telling me why you were waiting for me to let my guard down to attack?" Jiraiya asked politely as if he was discussing prices at a shop. He put the headband down and moved to pilfer through the man's ninja pouch.

"Go fuck yourself! You were trespassing into our borders!" The ninja sneered as he continued to struggle against his amphibian captors. Jiraiya merely raised an eyebrow at him and pulled out various odd looking ninja tools. It would seem that the kunai launcher wasn't the only trick up his sleeve…

"Odd, I don't remember Kusa closing down its borders. And trespassing? You know who I am and your people know I travel all over the elemental countries." He then pulled out a strange seal and immediately began to dissect its secrets. "Besides," he continued without even looking up at the man, "You didn't even give me a chance to identify myself. You just shot me in the back while my clone was pissing." He finally graced the man with a look and frowned, "Rather rude of you, I gotta say."

"Let go of me!" The man shouted as he tried ripping his arms free from the massive toad's grasp. He struggled for a bit before Jiraiya abruptly stood and marched over to him with a deadly look on his face. His jaw was grabbed by Jiraiya's massive hand and forced the ninja to look directly into the eyes of a legend.

"I will say this once," Jiraiya said with all traces of politeness gone, "Tell me what's going on with Kusagakure and I'll let you go." It was a simple offer, freedom for information. It rarely worked, but he always offered his prisoners the option out of kindness. It would be the last he would ever see of kindness should he decline.

The ninja tore his jaw from the man's grip and flashed a disturbing smile. It was almost like a wounded animal; frenzied, but thinking clear enough to be spiteful. Jiraiya felt the wad of spit hit him right under his eye but his gaze remained unflinching. He wanted to sigh and shake his head, but he kept his disappointment to himself. In an instant Jiraiya lashed his hand out and slammed the back of his armored hand into the man's jaw causing blood to arch out.

"Hehehe," the man chuckled as his head lolled back to staring at Jiraiya and spat a tooth out at him, "Looks like you're getting nothing hahahaha-hng!" The man's laughter was abruptly cut short as a pained look flashed across his face and his body began shaking uncontrollably.

"Shit! He poisoned himself!" Jiraiya exclaimed as he ordered the toads to set him down and attempted to keep the man alive. The seizures grew in ferocity as foam began to leak out the ninja's mouth. Moments passed with Jiraiya struggling in vain before the man went still with a defiant, albeit glassy, look in his eyes. He sat there for a moment with the five toads standing around him awkwardly before he sighed.

"Get him outta here, and send a messenger to Konoha; update them on the situation and tell them I'm infiltrating hostile territory." He said as the largest of the toads, a blue and orange one, nodded and leapt away. Jiraiya stood and began to leave, sending one last look at the body that was getting hauled away.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" his troubled look disappeared in a cloud of white smoke as he summoned himself back to the forests of Kusa.

Landing on a thick branch silently he dashed towards the small village appearing nothing more than a blur. Coming to a stop, a clearing that was smaller than he remembered, entered his view. Crouching down and taking out his spyglass he tried to spot his informant.

The man was tall, exceptionally so, but was skinnier than the grass that grows here. He had brown hair that spiked everywhere and was missing half of his left eyebrow; curtesy of Orochimaru, when he mouthed off to him back when they were a team. He had pale green eyes and was the owner of the only bar in the village. But upon looking, he couldn't find any of the buildings he remembered. There were no houses, shops, orphanages, and he couldn't spot his man's establishment.

 _'The forest never grows quick enough to get rid of a building, especially when it's being inhabited by people.'_ He thought worriedly as he slowly began moving further in. _'There's no sounds…where is everyone? Did they all get abducted like the other villages?'_

He noticed that while many of the buildings he once knew were gone, there were more blacksmiths stations, barns, and fields of crop. A sound to his left made him go still and he sunk soundlessly into the ground and waited with bated breath. Three ninja, not unlike the one he had captured earlier, stopped just feet from his spot. Two men and a woman, all around their late twenties and decked out in strange equipment.

"Where the hell is he?!" The first man shouted in clear frustration. He was of a larger build, someone that definitely favored his strength over jutsu or mind. Essentially, he would be the meat of a team; the shield between enemy and teammate.

 _'Meat. A good name for him.'_ Jiraiya thought as it would make keeping track of whose who much easier, especially for his report should they prove significant. A grunt came from the woman and she folded her arms across her chest.

"Tch, you know exactly where that waste went too; he's off smoking that opium he always carries with him." Her tone was rough and crude and it matched her disposition well. A look that could be appreciated was lethality. Her stance and movement indicated someone who was trained in the finer shinobi arts, like genjutsu. She bared her teeth in annoyance and her face contorted into a mean sneer.

 _'Teeth.'_ Jiraiya mentally named her, taking inspiration from her bared pearly whites and the fact that her role on the team most likely was the teeth. Able to be either fierce or enchanting at a moment's notice and if anything ever got clamped between them, it would be torn to shreds.

The third, and final, person of the group, a male, grunted and spoke with a clear tone of authority.

"Enough, we will continue with our patrol. He knows where to meet us and when we see him I will take care of him personally." Jiraiya noted how his words made the backs of the other two straighten and he realized he was looking at the leader. He was a somewhat short and unassuming man, wielding a face that would easily be forgotten or overlooked in a crowd of people. Jiraiya's eyes narrowed at the feeling of how anonymous the man appeared and stared harder at his eyes. The cold blue eyes shone with skill, experience, and attentiveness. He was the brains.

 _'Brains, huh? He appears to be about ANBU level, which is rather rare for Kusagakure…'_ His brow furrowed as the group dashed away, heading northwest of his position and towards the forest. _'Why would a ninja of his caliber, which is in high demand for Kusa, be patrolling this backwater village?'_ His mind was racing with possibilities about the whole scenario and after it was safe he emerged from the ground.

All in all, the group of ninja did not look pretty, nor friendly. They looked nothing like the protector/guardian type that the bigger nations were known for producing. Instead, they looked more like the old school shinobi, the ones from his and his sensei's time that only functioned as a killing machine. It was an archaic system that made him long for home and its friendlier faces.

But that was how it worked in many of the smaller and struggling villages; many aspiring shinobi died off because they couldn't afford to go easy on them. The world and powers that be would simply steam-roll right over them; Kusa had experienced this twice in the past, and it would seem they weren't too keen on a third.

He shook his head free of his thoughts and proceeded to creep further into the village, passing by barns and metal working shacks that stood in the same places stores and houses stood. He had to duck into hiding a few times as more four-manned patrol groups passed by and their number surprised him greatly. He was never able to get an accurate read on Kusa's military strength in terms of numbers, but since their position in the world never changed he, and the rest of the world, assumed that they had done little growing.

But now it appeared that they were growing as fast as the vegetation if they were able to spare so many men to patrol this shithole of a village. A breeze had rustled some of the crops to his right and something had caught his eye. Jiraiya paused and looked around for anyone who might've been watching then crept closer to the edge of the fields.

The flowers swaying were definitely no edible plant, and he highly doubted Kusa would replace dozens and dozens of homes to build exotic gardens. Now only five yards away, and the blanket of night covering his vision, he was able to make out bright splotches of purple, yellow, orange, and blue. Hell, it was basically every color of the rainbow made atrociously bright. Jiraiya wasn't any expert on flowers, but coming from Konoha and having the world's foremost expert in medical jutsu as a teammate he was able to pick a few things up.

Another breeze came by and caused the field of tall and bulbous flowers to sway.

"They don't look any healing herbs I've ever seen before…" He murmured to himself, clearly confused as to why Kusa would displace dozens of homes, stores, and people just to make room for some plants. He crept closer to the field, now mere feet away, and he began to reach out slowly towards them. Perhaps if he could just steal one and get a closer look he would find their significance.

The flower field swayed once more and Jiraiya's eyes widened in alarm. There was no breeze to move them that time.

He pulled his hand back rapidly and fell on his back as a flower closest to him had lashed out towards him, easily extending past its five foot height to nearly eight. It sailed just over his shoulder before turning sharply and snapping towards him. It halted just inches away from his face as it reached its limit, but that didn't discourage the hostile plant.

Up close, Jiraiya was able to get a good look at the frenzied flora. Its bulbous head had separated across the middle and opened up revealing rows upon rows of sharp, disturbingly angled teeth. From its mouth dripped a liquid that sizzled the ground where it fell between his legs. Jiraiya's breathing returned to normal and he spared a cautious glance to the field behind the stretched plant.

Its activity had caused numerous other plants by the edge to become active and in their squirming he could make out what appeared to be a partly consumed, even more so dissolved, hand clearly separated from its owner.

"C'mon! There's something agitating the field!" Jiraiya heard a voice call as footsteps began approaching his location. Cursing his foolishness he quickly activated his chameleon jutsu along with some simple earth manipulation to erase all evidence of his footprints in the area. He made it back towards the buildings, a safe twenty yards from the crops, and waited for a four man cell to arrive where he once stood.

"See!" an aggravated voice exclaimed as he threw his hand out, "Nothing here! These hungry fuckers will uproot themselves for a squirrel." To prove his point one plant tossed the half devoured hand into the air for it to fall into its waiting maws only to have it snatched away by a neighboring stalk. A small riot broke out in the area and the man who originally called out Jiraiya's presence sighed.

"I fucking hate these things! I can't believe we gotta bond with them." He said with equal parts fear and disgust. A third man snorted and walked towards the plants edge where instead of getting attacked he was greeted with almost affectionate rubs.

"I for one love them. So loyal and free of fear. All there is in them is their ability to follow command and insatiable hunger…" He said darkly as he rubbed one that put its head under his hand. The dark grin was not missed by either Jiraiya or his compatriots and it was clear that none of them wanted to stay there any longer.

Jiraiya creeped away with his jutsu still active. He would not drop it until he was far gone from this place.

 _'I'm liking this less and less…Kusa has always been known to use nature as weapons, but there was nothing natural about those plants.'_ He was coming to an end of buildings, each getting more and more sparse as a big, run-down building came into view. _'I can't leave here without any information…'_ He thought with a worried fueled determination. He quickened his pace towards the big building towards the end feeling he would find answers there. It was the only familiar building in the village as it was the meeting hall and virtual center of the town. The last time he was here was months ago, but the changes here were far too drastic to indicate it was done so peacefully.

As he got closer the condition of the building became more and more appalling, despite this being a poor village their meeting hall was always in superb upkeep, but now it appeared as if it was falling in on itself. At twenty feet away he began to notice a horrific smell that only got worse as he marched on. The smell reminded him of his war days where days after a battle time would be spent sorting the bodies and digging mass graves.

His heart quickened and he feared for the fates of the innocent inhabitants of the village.

He noticed two groups of two patrolling the front door and sides like they were keeping anyone from getting in. He crept closer, edging past them and darting around the side when he noticed how their weapons were facing towards the door.

 _'They're keeping something in…'_

He made it to the back and looked around for any kind of opening to enter through. After a failed search he dropped his chameleon jutsu and sunk through the ground again, his head reappearing on the other side.

Now that he had a view and was actually inside the building the smell became even worse. He fought back a gag and channeled chakra to his eyes so that he might see better in the darkly lit room.

It was not a pretty sight.

The walls were stacked with poorly made cots from discomforting jagged pieces of metal and splintering wood. A few lucky ones had sparse piles of grass covering them to provide some measure of padding but even then it looked dismal. Groans could be heard all around him and as Jiraiya swiveled his head he saw that the same stacking was done throughout the room wherever space could be found. Bunks were so closely packed that he didn't see just how a human being could fit in one. Then he took a look at the people occupying them and understood how.

A _healthy_ person wouldn't fit, but a starved and broken one would. This place was a containment camp. He had seen too many of these in his time, and was probably the thing he missed least from the wars he took part in.

 _'Why would Kusa be doing this to their own people?!'_ He thought in anger as he rose from the ground fully and waded his way through the heap of underfed, unwashed, and broken people. He had to find his guy and find out just what the bloody fuck was going on here.

His presence was soon noticed, their reactions taking much longer than that of a normal person showing just how terrible their condition was. Some, many actually, shied away from him in terror like a beaten animal, while others reached out to him with skin that clung tightly to bony and dislodged fingers. Their feeble attempts to grab on to his clothes were so weak that he didn't even need to stop walking for them to relinquish their hold. He scanned each face, looking for his man but only finding misery and pain.

 _'These people…worse than cattle.'_ Jiraiya's anger was churning like molten sludge in his gut and he recalled the time he had first encountered something like this. It was the preliminary skirmishes of the Second Shinobi World War and his team along with Sarutobi-sensei had just liberated one of their border towns from Iwa's control. It had been one of the first villages to fall and it had taken nearly six months to beat the initial Iwa incursion back to where they could begin reclamation operations. He remembered just how it affected each of them.

Tsunade, whom was only fourteen at the time, was just starting to get into her intermediate stages of med skills and was swamped with relief efforts. There was no shortage of people who needed their wounds healed and she didn't have enough chakra or skill to save everyone. He would have to pull her away from the med tents so she wouldn't kill herself and her diet for weeks was mainly chakra pills. The worst of it was the realization that even the ones she was able to save from death and heal could not be truly healed. She had found out the hard way that there were things she could not heal when one of her patients, a boy her age whose entire family had been killed over the course of the six months occupation, had killed himself after she had slaved for days to stabilize him.

Jiraiya remembered how he wanted to beat the bastard for wasting not only his life, but Tsunade's efforts in healing him. He simply gave up; something Jiraiya had always hated. It was also because his death had left Tsunade a wreck and he couldn't stand to see anyone harm her.

Orochimaru, ever the bastard, simply shrugged and said it was the law of nature. "The strong will always crush the weak." Jiraiya remembered the fight they had over it that left them sore for weeks afterwards. Their spars were always heated and the nail in the coffin between them that created month long hatred was when Orochimaru had beat him in a spar again, he had never won, but he never came closer to wining than that time, and he used this as proof that he was right. He denounced Jiraiya as weak and as he laid on the ground with Orochimaru standing over him all he could feel was contempt. It wasn't until months later that Orochimaru admitted that what happened to that village was excessive and pointless, and he was disgusted by the fact that he was the same species as those who had enslaved the populace.

What stuck with Jiraiya the most was what his sensei had told him as they were ceasing the relief efforts to push towards the battlefront, "Remember this day Jiraiya. Never forget the helplessness of these people. It's like this all over the world, and if you truly strive for peace, then strive for strength."

"Become a protector." Jiraiya muttered as he snapped back to his grim reality. He was no protector…just an old fool whose best was never good enough.

"Well I must have finally lost it if I'm seeing you of all people." Croaked out a familiar voice at his feet. Jiraiya sucked in a breath and dropped to one knee so he would be closer to him. He could barely make out him out in the darkness and conjured a small flame in his palm. The illumination it brought was not a pretty sight and the man quickly ordered the flame to be squashed.

"You don't need eyes to get what you need!" He whispered harshly and Jiraiya let the flame die which elicited a sigh from the man; he couldn't tell if it was one of relief or agony. "It's not like what you'll see is anything worth looking at anymore." The man muttered contritely.

"Pfft," Jiraiya chuckled, "As if you were something worth looking at to begin with." The darkness that enveloped them hid their expressions. One of pain, and one of pity.

"I figured you'd show after I failed to check in; just didn't know it was gonna take this long." The man grunted and with some shuffling Jiraiya saw his darkened outline rise slightly, as if he was propping himself up with his elbow.

"Things have been happening…" Jiraiya said trailing off indicating just how good these happenings were.

"Yeah?" The man said derisively, "Shit's hit the fan here too, in case you haven't noticed." There was another shuffle, this time Jiraiya leaned in closer, despite the pungent odor the man exuded.

"What exactly happened here? Where are all the villagers? Where did all these ninja come from? Why are you all here and what the hell are those plants outside?" Jiraiya asked, firing off each question just as rapidly as the last. He needed answers.

"Do you…" A pain grunt escaped the man, "Do you remember how Kusagakure was becoming more and more reclusive? Harder to reach for aid and harder to find its gates?" He asked gaining a nod from Jiraiya; after all, that was usually what the man had to report on the ninja village whenever he rolled around.

"Well they must've been gathering their strength…manipulating the forests…biding their time. As time passed we began hearing less from other villages, not that we heard much from them to begin with, but soon enough; we were alone." The man said with a grim tone.

"We assumed it was the forests; taking back what we took from them as they usually do, but it was odd that we found nobody; or anything." That was one of the reasons Kusa was such a bad place to live in; sure it made magnificent crops, but every once in a while, the forest would practically come alive and swallow villages whole. Of course, people living in Kusa never leave and got used to it by now, that's why they built small and cheap. When that once in a while rolled around, they would simply roll to another village and settle there until it was time to move again. "We sent some people to the other villages, but they never came back…"

Jiraiya didn't understand what any of this meant, but it didn't stop him from scribbling everything down on a notepad. The picture, much like the ghost village incidents with Anko, wasn't complete…and it wasn't looking good either.

"That's when _they_ showed up." The man's sneer was practically a sound in of itself it was that obvious.

"The Kusa nin?" Jiraiya asked and got a grunt in return. More shuffling was heard, and the man's outline melted back into the poorly made cot. It was a wonder that nobody else was moving towards them considering how packed the place was. Jiraiya grimly figured they were all simply too weak to move.

"They came in, took all the kids and healthy adults and demolished all our homes; having us build farms and shacks where they would stockpile weapons and food. Everyone left in the village were either the sick, elderly, or the disabled, and they had us doing slave labor since."

"Those plants?" Jiraiya questioned.

"Ahhhh, but how could we forget the plants!" The man exclaimed with the most amount of life he had seen recently before falling into a fit of coughing. Jiraiya felt something warm splatter his hand. He didn't need to see to know it was blood.

"Eugh," The man groaned before sinking further into his cot, "The plants were what they had us fucking cultivating after they harvested all our crops and seeds for other harvests. The amount of strain we placed on the soil should've made it dust, even for Kusa, but these things grew like a wildfire. I've never seen them before in my life, and I don't know where those _ninja_ got the seeds from either. All I know is, once you're too sick to work…they throw you into the fields."

There was a heavy silence and Jiraiya remembered the hand he saw among them. He bit back a sigh and shifted his weight to get into a slightly less uncomfortable position.

"We're forced to watch… Those **bastards!** " Silent sobs escaped the man as his voice became choked. It was a terrible thing, being forced to nurture the very thing that was killing your family and friends.

"How long has this been happening?" Jiraiya asked after some time allowing his man to gather himself together.

"In our village," He started with a tenor to his voice still existent, "Three months since before I lost connection with you."

 _'Shit. This has been going on for seven months?!'_ Jiraiya thought, cursing himself for not coming to investigate sooner. His attention was taken when the reduced man spoke again.

"I…I had found out something that I was going to send you, before all this happened. This has been happening all over Kusa, and it started just after the Kyuubi attack."

Silence.

That was all Jiraiya heard as he looked up from his pad.

"Jiraiya." The man said snapping him from cold realizations by gripping his forearm in a feeble and bony embrace. "Stop them."

 **With Kouken**

Kouken groaned as he rested his head in his palm, obviously feeling the after affects of last night's bout of drinking. He had woken up to vomiting and the driest mouth he had ever experienced in his life, as well as a head that pounded like…like something that pounded ridiculously hard! He couldn't think of any metaphors right now. What made things worse was the note that he had read after crawling into his kitchen that said he had an appointment with the Doc today; something he made by only minutes. He was looking forward to feeling like death in the comfort of his bed, but here he was, feeling like death surrounded by people. Not to mention he was now going to have to answer a bunch of invasive and annoying questions that he had little to not patience for even while sober.

"Kouken," a voice from behind him said, causing him to suppress another groan, "Did you hear my question?" Kouken slowly turned from the bookshelf he was staring at to stare at the aged Yamanaka clan leader. He forced a smile to his face.

"I'm sorry Doc, you mind repeating it?" God, acting like he wasn't _literally_ dying was making him wish death would actually claim him.

"I had asked if you were alright?" Inochi frowned as he stared at his patients appearance. He almost always was in immaculate appearance, but today he showed up looking incredibly pale, dizzy, unfocused, and in pain. He narrowed his eyes and could even smell a strong scent of vomit and…

"…Are you _hungover_?" Inochi asked with surprise and incredulity. There was no way this child was hungover as there was no reason for him to be drinking, but…but here he was looking like he had the worst hangover of his life!

"Ugh…" Kouken groaned and let his pathetic façade drop as he flopped on the man's couch, "Not so loud Doc. And to answer your question; yes, terribly so." He said as he curled into fetal position and stared at the red leather of the man's couch. It was a nice couch.

"And uhh…Why-"

"Anko." Kouken said, cutting the man off and getting an 'ahh' sound. God could he just get this over with.

"Here, this'll help you." Inochi said and Kouken could hear a shuffling as the man walked closer to him. Kouken leaned over to see what the man would do when a green glowing palm had covered his forehead and instant relief had flooded his system. The man's healing hands of god stayed there for almost fifteen seconds before they retracted and he went to go sit back down.

Kouken frowned as the amazing feeling had left his system, but he was feeling far better than he had originally. Pushing up off of the couch and into a normal sitting position he nodded his thanks to the smiling man.

"Now, as I've been made aware, you just recently had your first kill last mission." Inochi said as he donned his reading glasses once more and looked through a manila file.

"Straight to the point, eh doc?" Kouken said in a somewhat surprised tone. The man had always beat around the bush in his previous visits, which was part of the reason they were so infuriating, but here he was practically grunting out what he wanted to talk about.

"It was to my understanding that you didn't appreciate my previous form of questioning so I'm switching methods. How did the mission go?" The man replied as he stared at the boy who merely shrugged.

"It says right there in your report, it was a success. We found their location, cleared them out, and returned all lost items without causalities." Kouken really didn't see what the point of this was, but he definitely did _not_ appreciate talking about this.

Inochi frowned.

"I'm not looking for a report. It's as you say," He said holding up the file and shaking it slightly, "I have the report right here; I'm looking for a personal response."

It was Kouken's turn to frown.

"And why do you want one?" He said in an almost childish tone of voice as he crossed his arms across his chest defensively.

Inochi sighed.

"Because I am your psychiatrist and such an event can be highly damaging unless you talk about it."

"I already talked about it with Anko."

"No, you drank about it; hardly a healthy response."

"We're shinobi, nothing about us is healthy."

The two stared at each other, one annoyed and exasperatedly and the other defiant and guarded. This was how most of their meetings ended up but Inochi would get a human response out of him this session if it was the last thing he did.

"Yes! All the more reason to make sure we are as healthy as possible!" He said raising voice slightly to emphasize his point before realizing from his patient's flat stare that he didn't see it. "Kouken, just because you're a shinobi doesn't mean you aren't human." The statement was followed by a sigh and Inochi moved to shake his head at having to point that out to the boy, but he caught a slip in the boy's facial mask. He had noticed the slight curl of his upper lip when he mentioned human.

 _'Disgust? Odd, but it something to work with.'_ Inochi said as he straightened in his seat and cleared his throat.

"Why do you not like being called human?" He asked innocently, unaware of just how…dangerous it sounded for it to be a legitimate question that the boy had to answer.

"When did I say that?" Kouken asked, his tone falling back to one of a natural conversationalist. Smooth and easy on the ears, readily able to twist whatever is said to fit his needs. Inochi wouldn't allow the boy to dodge the question this time.

"When I said human your lip curled in disgust. Don't try to deny it because these sessions are videotaped and I've been in enough minds to know the tell of disgust when I see it." He stared unblinking at the boy who dropped his nice features in favor for a stonier visage.

"Perhaps your eyes are failing you in your age." The boy bit out, hoping that an insult would pull the man away from his discovery. Sadly, the man wouldn't fall for the bait and continued to stare expectantly at him.

"But the video camera isn't nearly as old as me. We both know that if I rewind it we'll see the flash of emotion."

It would seem the man had finally backed the pink-haired boy into a corner.

 _'Fine; only give half-truths then.'_ The boy thought spitefully as he realized he wouldn't get away without telling something that wasn't either a lie or a diversion.

"Fine, I was disgusted by it yes." The boy admitted with a huff and blew some hair that fell over his eye away.

"I already knew that," Inochi said in a near condescending voice, "I had asked why?" He leaned back into his chair and waited, letting the boy stew and become annoyed at his demeanor. Get the boy angry, _emotional,_ and the results might just be something human.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Kouken said derisively, "We are disgusting creatures; fucking and dying in the filth and squalor that is our home all the while having the gall to think we have elevated ourselves to something more civilized?" Kouken's words were definitely crisp and his avoidance of eye contact, electing to look out the window of his office, showed he wasn't comfortable discussing it.

"That's certainly an articulated opinion; have you been thinking that often?" Inochi asked. Such a thought that came out so quickly was not practiced; and the fact that it was indeed well articulated suggested he had lots of time to build it. That worried him.

Kouken shrugged in a non-comital manner.

"Not particularly no," He admitted, "But I have given it more thought recently." The boy was telling only vague truths and since these were the first truths he had ever fed the man, he wasn't looking at them critically. Like a hungry dog snatching up pieces of meat when presented, he wasn't looking for anything past the next offering of food.

"You mean your mission?" The man asked for clarification, getting a nod in return. This was the first decent amount of progress he had ever made and he wouldn't let the well dry up just yet. "What about the mission made you think that humans are disgusting? Was it the torture you had to inflict?"

Kouken flinched at that and his eyes sharply fell to the floor. He wasn't expecting the man to bring it up so bluntly and was unprepared for the question. He had no conservative response at his beck and call so he mutely nodded.

The sound of scribbling filled the room. Kouken hated that sound. It meant he was writing something down about him; saying something about him that he was not privy to. Right in front of him no less! He knew it was something bad. When did a psychiatrist ever write down, "Wow! This guy's a real shining star of morality. Complete bill of health over here! I enjoy his presence so much that I'll continue to converse with him as if he has problems!"

Kouken snorted at that and the scribbling stopped. He looked up and saw Inochi was staring at him.

"Something funny, Izoumaru-san?" He asked innocently and politely while Kouken narrowed his eyes at the man's clipboard.

"What're ya writing there?" He asked bluntly while nodding his head towards the man's papers.

"Oh this?" The doctor asked before smiling sheepishly. He reluctantly turned it around to show the most frivolous looking card he had ever seen in his entire life. He actually vomited when he noticed it had purple lace all over it. "It's my daughter's birthday and I was writing her a card." He said with a…fatherly chuckle that made Kouken sweat drop. Before he knew it he was assaulted by thousands of pictures from a suddenly overly enthusiastic Inochi.

"Do you know of my sweet Ino-chan?!" He asked showing one picture of her only three and riding on his shoulders. "She's the star of my world and the most adorable, perfect little princess you could ever see!"

"Ahh…I see…How umm," Kouken said uncomfortably completely unprepared for just how enthusiastic the man was about his daughter. "How old is she?" He finally managed to ask and it sent the man into another strange fatherly fit. He hugged his picture tightly and steam blew out of his large nostrils.

"Oh my princess is just a little girl!" He proclaimed and Kouken nodded mutely, this whole situation was not what he was expecting, and this was the first time he had ever seen the man other than a doctor. After some time had passed and silence returned to the office Kouken allowed the man to finish his scribbling. Once he was finished, he put it aside and returned his gaze to his pink-haired patient.

"Ya know what I thought after my first kill?" Inochi asked Kouken, once again catching the boy off-guard who just shook his head. A sad smile had filled his face and the man looked down at the green carpet. "I had thought myself to be the worst kind of monster. It wasn't a clean kill by any standards. I infiltrated his mind for information on a captured comrade and when I saw how they were treating him I scrambled his mind in rage."

A heavy silence filled the office. Kouken knew enough about the Yamanaka's to know that when they mean scramble, the image of a scrambled egg was accurate enough.

"I was assaulted by thousands of images in that moment and when I was done only one image remained clear and unscathed…It was a picture of some woman, beautiful and smiling, holding a little girl in her arms that looked like the perfect blend between the woman and the man I just turned into a vegetable."

He let loose a breath of air that sounded like an attempt of a chuckle.

"After that, I didn't want to end the jutsu because I was afraid to return back to myself with such an error on my hands. I could never fix the man and when the jutsu ended and I was faced with the gravity of my actions…I…I decided that I couldn't leave the man like that. I couldn't leave their family like that. I gave the man the last of my peaceful rest and dropped his body off where I knew a patrol would find him." Kouken watched as the man stared at his feet and Kouken felt the breath in his throat ache for release. Peaceful rest was a poison, that was administered to patients who were too far gone and gave them the release of death. It was a euthanization that made their death a peaceful rest.

Finally Kouken's breath came out in a quiet sigh.

"I saw them…" He said catching the attention of the man who wasn't just his doctor in that moment, "I saw them struggle to survive. Saw them burning and bleeding yet never giving up on the chance to survive, something I could relate to better than most, and still I ensured that none did." Kouken felt his hands shake and he clenched them together tightly. "They had no chance of escape and yet they fought and fought, even going as far to kill the man next to them so they could use their body as a stepping stool." Kouken's voice wavered.

"I was the cause of such _pathetic_ hysteria and dealt death as if I was some vengeful god. I was the one that made such a _disgusting_ display, I was the one that made sure they would remain forgotten, _I was the one that had trained my entire life for that._ " Kouken scoffed and shut his eyes tightly as he could feel the pressure in his throat and the waver in his eye sight indicating something he did not want to occur in front of the man who was simply sitting there; listening silently just as he had done for him.

He got his emotions back under his grip and his voice only carried a slight tremor when he spoke.

"I was the one who tortured a man for info on a famer turned bandit…I was disgusted to even be the same species as something so _pathetic and_ _ **weak!**_ " Kouken bit out fiercely as he speared his eyes violently at the man whose face was just as calm as the silence was heavy.

The clock buzzed and Kouken rose from his spot on the couch, marching briskly towards the window to make an exit. He had one foot prepped on the window sill when he paused and turned his head just enough that Inochi could make out the corner of his eye, speaking just above a murmur.

"Hope your kid has a happy birthday."

 **WE DONE!**

 **Whew! That was quite the chapter in length, even more so since It didn't have virtually any action in it, but did carry some good character and plot development. I want to apologize for this taking so long and also for the shit-tier chapter I produced originally. It had some good points, but it was all too sudden and spontaneous without anything that built up to it to make it actually fit. I've arrived to the hell known as final's week and since I took so long to update I'm kinda releasing this bad boy without proofreading it so you guys got something to nibble on until all my tests are done. Once those are out of the way I promise to hop back into it and will be working on it like I did before. As always, tell me what you think and for those that were able to read the original chapter nine, how does it compare? Thank you to everyone who supports this story and be sure to drop a review! I don't wanna fall off the wagon simply because ya'll thought I died or something lol!**

 **PEACE OUT!**


	12. Chapter 12: Chapter nine annoucement

**In case the site doesn't send you an alert, the revised chapter nine is now out!**

 **Enjoy!**


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